"Twelve Tips for Conducting Effective Surveys"

A good client survey can help you focus your marketing on your prospects' "hot buttons."

A marketing professional surveyed my clients before I wrote my website. What if you think you can't afford that? I believe it's a false economy to do it yourself because your clients will open up more with with third party.

However, if you must do it yourself, first read "Twelve Tips for Conducting Effective Surveys" by Brian Henderson. His tips, such as "Define the survey's purpose" and "keep it short and sweet," may seem obvious. But I've seen many surveys that ignore this sound advice.

"How to Appear in Harvard Business Review"

"How to Appear in Harvard Business Review" is the topic of a MarketingSherpa article, accessible only until March 23. Check it out soon!

If you wait too long, then check out HBR's "Guidelines for Authors."

"How to Get a Standing Ovation" by Guy Kawasaki

"How to Get a Standing Ovation" by Guy Kawasaki has some good tips for speakers.

One of the best is to "cut the sales pitch." So many times I've been turned off at the very beginning of a speech by a lengthy pitch about the presenter and her/his company.