PSPINC Official Company Blog

PSPINC What's New Newsletter Vol. 121"An Elevator Pitch"

Jun

23

Have you heard of an elevator pitch? It’s the idea that if you got into an elevator with an investor, what would you say to try to sell to them? It should be short, concise, but still compelling enough to introduce yourself and showcase your expertise in a way that will convince the other person to invest in you. Like marketing yourself or whatever you’re trying to sell in a short amount of time. But what components do you need to make a good elevator pitch into a great one? You want to sell effectively, but you also want to stand out amongst others who are also trying to sell to this investor.

While every elevator pitch will undoubtedly be different, there are components you want to ensure you include. For example, say you’re trying to sell a specific product. The first and obvious thing you need is the name of that product. Then, informing them about what market category it fits in and who the target customer would be is also an important detail to add.

After that, the investor needs to know why a potential customer would need this product, at least one key benefit, what similar products already exist on the market and what makes it different than everything that's already on the market. While it seems like a lot to fit in a 90-second window, if you know your product well and truly believe in it, it’s easy. Making an elevator pitch go successfully can be tricky, but it relies on making sure you include the most crucial details. The rest is up to you.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #business #businesstips #digitalmarketing #elevatorpitch #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #newsletter #pitch #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #sales #salespitch #smallbusiness #tech #technology

PSPINC What's New Newsletter Vol. 120 "Cultivating Meaningful Business Relationships"

Jun

16

A vital part of maintaining a successful business is cultivating meaningful relationships. Loyalty from your customers is essential to build a truly sustainable brand. Sales transactions are great, but what you’re really looking for as a business owner are customers who continually come back. It shows people that your brand and the products you sell are reliable. And it’s a big reason why the most successful companies in the world are as successful as they are. When our customers call PSPINC, they know they aren’t just calling our company. They know exactly who to ask for because our support team is full of experts who know how to build that relationship with them.

But this doesn’t just go a long way toward potential customers. The business community is enormous so having solid connections within it is also important. Business relationships help establish your reputation in the business world. And the best part is that they can also foster long-term and even lifetime friendships with others. From that, beneficial partnerships can form and bring in new and repeat customers. Meaningful business relationships open the door to incredible opportunities for success. And it’s why we value it so highly at PSPINC.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #blog #branding #business #businesstips #customerfeedback #customerservice #customersupport #digitalmarketing #marketing #networking #pacificsoftwarepublishing #partnerships #pspinc #relationships #smallbusiness #technology #whatsnewnewsletter

The Key to a Good Loyalty Program

May

31

Brand loyalty is what every company wants. While the main goal is to increase sales, it’s much easier and cheaper to get customers that continually come back. In fact, it’s five to 25 times more expensive to acquire a new customer when compared to retaining an existing one (according to Harvard Business Review). A loyalty program offers incentives (rewards) to build trust and increase customer retention.

From a business perspective, the goal of a loyalty program is to give loyal customers benefits that seem relatively high but don’t actually cost the company that much. In return, they hope the customer will spend on other products/services associated with the brand. But that’ll only happen if your company can build a successful loyalty program. In the end, it’ll be beneficial on both sides. It’ll promote the brand and encourages frequent and valuable transactions. And customers will be appreciative that the company’s rewarding them with exclusive discounts and offers for their loyalty. Like how our Dreamersi customers get InforMakers and WebdeXpress for free as well as exclusive discounts with their web and email hosting plans.

The Key to a Successful Loyalty Program

happy man holding two brown shopping bags

The most important thing to keep in mind when creating an effective loyalty program is the customer’s experience. The goal is to not only inspire and encourage loyalty but also create long-term customer engagement. While many marketing activities generally focus on the brand awareness and acquisition stages of the customer journey, relationship marketing focuses more on the post-purchase cycle. Namely, the customer’s satisfaction, loyalty, and evangelism levels. To do this, you’ll want to avoid the hard sale. Once customers opt-in for your loyalty program, you’re no longer trying to accomplish short-term goals like increasing customer acquisition and individual sales.

To do this effectively, you want to create positive moments that customers will not only remember but praise. Keep in mind that customers will remember the best and worst moments most. To give them the best experience possible, focus on boosting sensory appeal. And if you can find ways where your brand can go above and beyond customers’ expectations, even better. For the brand, it’ll also be important to identify where you can collect more customer data and discover ways to use it to meet (and possibly exceed) customers’ needs, desires, and goals. Transforming that data into meaningful experiences will also strengthen the relationship between the brand and the customer in the long run. All it takes after that is promoting it, which will be much easier if you’re providing true value to your loyal customers.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #b2b #blog #businesstips #crm #customerexperience #customerservice #digitalmarketing #dreamersi #informakers #loyaltyprogram #marketing #marketingdigital #pspinc #relationshipmarketing #smallbusiness #tech #technology #webdexpress

PSPINC What’s New Newsletter Vol. 117 “The Value of Teamwork”

May

26

At PSPINC, we work in teams. Over the years, it’s proven to be helpful in all business tasks. At the end of the day, everyone works together to get the job done. That includes processes from creating a new product or service to marketing it. For example, every new product or service we create must go through a launch checklist before we release it to the public. This ensures that it goes through multiple hands before we publicly release it to the market.

While PSPINC started as a one-man operation in 1987. But the company only became the success that it is today thanks to all our employees. At the start, PSPINC only developed and sold software to a few clients. Since then, the company’s evolved to include web design services and marketing solutions, all to tens of thousands of clients. And that only became possible by creating teams that each have a specific purpose and goal in mind. So, if you need any help with your business website, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #blog #business #businesstips #hosting #newsletter #pacificsoftwarepublishing #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #smallbusiness #softwaredevelopment #team #teamwork #tech #technology #web #webdevelopment #webhosting #website

Customer Surveys: Ask the Right Questions

Apr

16

image source: pixabay.com

We often ask questions with some expectation of the answers before we hear them. When asking our customers for their input, however, we must willingly set aside our opinions and remain neutral if we want to get honest feedback and learn something valuable from them.

According to Peter Drucker, guru of business management, the fax machine is a prime example of the influential power in our questioning techniques.

Before the fax machine came to market, U.S. manufacturers conducted market research asking, "Would you buy a telephone accessory for upwards of $1,500 that enables you to send, for $1 a page, the same letter the post office delivers for 25 cents?" You guessed it; the answers were no and U.S. manufacturers did not pursue the fax machine.

On the other hand, as Drucker pointed out, Japanese manufacturers asked a more straightforward question: “Is there a market for what the fax machine does?" And they realized fax machines could replace courier services like FedEx in the 70s. As a result of asking the right question, Japanese manufacturers were first to market and more dominant in fax machines than U.S. companies in the 80s and 90s. It was too late for many U.S. companies to follow suit.

Collecting feedback from our customers is beneficial, but only if we phrase our questions in such a way that allows them to be honest and think for themselves. If we are going to take the time to survey people, make it worthwhile. Prepare ahead of time, keep it straightforward, and take the bad with the good – because it all helps to better your business.

#Advertising #B2B #Blog #CRM #CustomerFeedback #CustomerSatisfaction #CustomerService #ENnews #FocusGroups #Marketing #OfficeTips #OnlineSurveys #PSPinc #SmallBusiness #Surveys

How to Host a Focus Group

Apr

11

image source: pixabay.com

Hosting a focus group to get more granular feedback from your customers is a great way learn what’s working, what’s not, and what the people want. The feedback can help you make better informed decisions when it comes to introducing, modifying or discontinuing products or services – instead of relying solely on your gut instinct.

Follow these five steps to host a successful focus group:

1. Define your Mission

What do you want to learn from your participants? Plan your focus group around a purpose and stick to it.

2. Recruit Participants

Carefully consider the people you invite. Think back to your plan for the focus group. Should you invite business people or consumers? What ages? Does income level or location matter? And should you be talking with people who are loyal to your company or people who have stopped purchasing your products or services? Maybe you need a good mix of everyone. You might consider sending out a questionnaire to pre-screen participants.

3. Provide Incentives

Time is money so be sure to reward the people who participate. Perhaps a discount or a gift card. Whatever that is, put yourself in their shoes and determine if the incentive is worth your time.

4. Interview

Interviewing participants in person is beneficial because there is much more to answers than words. Tone of voice and facial expressions can say a lot too. You can really capture the feelings in person. Prepare questions in advance and be very straightforward when delivering them. Don’t use a lot of adjectives or language that can be leading. Stay objective and try to get non-biased answers.

5. Take Notes

This is your chance to get more than a yes or no answer, so take advantage. Take notes on how the users engage with you. How do they appear? Do they smile? Are they agitated? Are they struggling to answer right away?

For a successful focus group, you need plenty of preparation ahead of time. You can find lots of sample questions online to give you ideas!

#Advertising #B2B #Blog #CustomerFeedback #CustomerSatisfaction #CustomerService #ENnews #FocusGroups #Marketing #OfficeTips #OnlineSurveys #PSPinc #SmallBusiness #Surveys

Simple, Immediate Surveys get Results

Apr

9

image source: pixabay.com

The best time to ask a customer about their experience with your business is immediately after your transaction or interaction with them. Life is busy and our memories get muddled because of it, so don’t wait too long to get feedback. Ask when when it’s fresh in your customer's mind.

If you want to keep it really simple, ask just one question: “Are you happy?”

Here are two ways PSPinc is doing that:

Feedback Form

We implemented a simple email survey through our CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system so whenever our support staff helps a customer, the customer immediately gets a follow-up email asking them to rate their experience with us. This can tell us a lot about how we are doing, and also what kinds of issues customer are having.

Opinion Stand

On a tablet next to our lobby entrance, we ask customers, “How did we do?” and they have the option to give their feedback on the tablet as they exit.

Don’t miss an opportunity to connect with your customers. These simple and quick surveys can provide a lot of great insight into what you’re doing right and what you need to do better.

#Advertising #B2B #Blog #CRM #CustomerFeedback #CustomerSatisfaction #CustomerService #ENnews #Marketing #OfficeTips #OnlineSurveys #PSPinc #SmallBusiness #Surveys

How to Get Customer Feedback

Apr

4

image source: pixabay.com

Learning from our customers equips us with information to better our business. In a previous article we discussed using analytics as a tool to understand our customers’ online behavior. Now let’s talk about reaching out to those customers to get their feedback.

One of the best and easiest ways to engage with your customers is to create a survey for them. Surveys are easy to make and you can customize them to ask broad questions or get very specific – it all depends on what your company needs from it.

Here are some key points for you to consider before you start your survey:

- Determine your goal for the survey, and what you want to get out of it.

- Compile your customer list, preferably emails, to which you can send the survey.

- Consider offering an incentive (coupon, freebie, discount) if they take the survey.

- Come up with your questions. Keep it simple and neutral, don’t lead your customers toward a particular answer. Stay completely objective. Consider questions like: How do they like your product or service? Where did they learn about you? What else would they like to see your company offer? What is your strength / weakness?

- Keep it short and tell them up front how long it should take to complete the survey. Everyone’s busy, don’t get greedy with their time.

- Be sure to follow-up at some point so your customer doesn’t think their time and feedback was wasted.

- Consider asking some of the tough questions, even if you’re worried about receiving criticism. Remember, you’re not looking for a testimonial; you want to understand how you can improve. Customers might appreciate it.

Once you figure out your questions, then you can find the survey tools. PSPinc has an online form program, so if you need any help, contact us! We would be happy to assist you.

#Advertising #B2B #Blog #CRM #CustomerFeedback #CustomerSatisfaction #CustomerService #ENnews #Marketing #OfficeTips #OnlineSurveys #PSPinc #SmallBusiness #Surveys

Learning from our Customers

Apr

2

image source: pixabay.com

Sometimes we let our values or assumptions dictate our business decisions. But how do we know if we’re making decisions that appeal to our customers’ needs and desires? If business is good, that’s a pretty solid indicator your ways are right. But what if business could be better? I think there’s always room for improvement, and it starts with customer research.

In this next series of articles, we explore ways we can learn from our customers – starting with web analytics.

Google Analytics is a free web tool that’s simple to use. First, you need to setup your Google Analytics account. Go to www.google.com/analytics. Follow the instructions and get a “tracking code” for your website. If you’re unsure how to proceed once you have your tracking code, contact your webmaster, your marketing company, or call us at PSPinc.com (1-800-232-3989). Most websites have easy ways to embed those codes so you can track the visitors to your pages.

Google Analytics can give you a lot of data about the people visiting your site, including where they come from, how they enter your site and where they exit.

Some things to look for include:

- Page Hits = how many pages are viewed
- Visitors = how many visits you had
- Unique Visitors = how many visitors are new to your site
- Bounce = meaning people are leaving your site
- Page Flow = shows how your visitors navigate through your website

So now you have all this data in front of you, but what do you do with it? Start asking questions. Here is a jumping off point:

How many people are visiting your site? Where are they coming from?
Who are they? Are they your target audience?
How are you attracting them? Are they spending time on pages you hoped they would hit?
Are they taking the “actions” you want them to take via your website?
What pages interest them the most? What pages do they leave from, and why?

Questioning this kind of data may help you develop some theories for testing your website’s appearance, content and functionality, and improve its performance altogether. Even a small tweak can make your homepage more effective.

#Advertising #B2B #Blog #CRM #CustomerFeedback #CustomerSatisfaction #CustomerService #ENnews #Marketing #OfficeTips #OnlineSurveys #PSPinc #SmallBusiness #Surveys

7 Ways to De-Stress at Work

Mar

28

image source: pixabay.com

It’s okay to feel stressed or frantic about work sometimes, but when it happens every day it’s time to make some changes. From jamming to your favorite tunes to tidying up a bit, here are 7 ways to de-stress while at work.

1. Exercise

Don’t underestimate the benefits that a brisk walk around the office or around the block can have on your energy levels. If you don’t have time to leave the office try stretching at your desk or take a walk to the bathroom.

2. Snack

People are more prone to stress on an empty stomach. So, if you find yourself in a heated internal monologue, try grabbing an apple from the kitchen. A snack might be just the break your body needs to deal with a stressful situation. Make sure you’re hydrating too!

3. Communicate

Try communicating your worries to a friend, co-worker, or even with a pen and pad. You might be surprised how verbalizing your stress can help. Don’t just complain about your problems, make a list of actions that you can take to tackle each one.

4. Take a Break

Give your mind a break by finding something that will distract you from your tasks. Even moving on to a new task, and taking a short break from the one that’s causing stress, can help you refocus while you continue to get work done.

5. Breathe

Inhale for 1…2...3…4 counts and exhale for 1…2…3…4 counts. Repeat this breathing exercise several times and then allow your breathing to return to normal. Repeat as often as you need throughout your day. It might seem too simple, but it actually works!

6. Listen to Music

Instrumental, classical, jazz, and even lo-fi music can be a wonderful distraction when stress hits. Try listening to calming music while doing your breathing exercise.

7. Tidy Up

The saying is “A cluttered desk is a cluttered mind.” By tidying up your desk and cleaning your office, you cut down possible distractions and feel more energized to take on your tasks.

#Advertising #B2B #Blog #ENnews #Marketing #OfficeTips #PSPinc #SmallBusiness