Responding to a Request for Proposal (RFP) is a lucrative business development activity with a high return on investment for the winning bidder. In these competitive bidding situations, companies are looking for the vendor with the best fit and solution. To create a winning RFP response, you must provide effective issues resolution, present your proposal…
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5 Tips for Suddenly-Remote Working
If someone told you in January that you’d be working from home before the end of Q1, you’d have laughed your socks off. Yet, here you are, living the dream. About now, you’re probably wondering how to focus. Working from home, it turns out, isn’t as simple as it looks. I know because I’ve worked…
How to Write a Professional Bio People Will Actually Read
The biggest mistake people make when writing their professional bio is trying to compress everything they’ve done in their career into a few paragraphs. At worst, these bios are little more than a list of company names, job titles and responsibilities. With little or no context about who you are and what you believe in,…
Trade Show Follow-up System to Maximize Sales
B2B trade show success is all about the follow-up. The most effective approach is to have a systematic plan. But research conducted by EXHIBITOR Magazine says that fewer than 70 percent of organizations have any formalized process. So, the question is how do you create a winning trade show follow-up system? Setting up your trade…
How to increase sales without hiring more sales people
I don’t think I’ve ever worked with a business whose goals did not include increasing sales. But, according to sales training expert Jill Konrath, 50 percent of salespeople fail to meet their quotas. Click here to see Jill Konrath’s video. She recommends mapping out an account entry strategy of 8-10 touches. That is excellent advice.…
The Red Stairs is expanding and moving to Denver
After a decade of writing, editing and planning sales and marketing content from our office in St. Louis, The Red Stairs is expanding to Denver at the end of 2017. It is an exciting move — I mean, we are talking about moving to the Rockies — and this move will mean more opportunities to…
How to create content that is an ambassador for your brand
Anything you can do to influence and enhance a positive perception of your brand is a good thing. Strong brands have clearly defined personalities and can be recognized not just by what they say, but also by how they say it. But, while many companies put considerable effort into the tools, platforms, and even the…
Why Businesses Need a Customer Newsletter
We work with a broad range of clients, from manufacturers to health care providers to attorneys, and we almost always recommend a customer newsletter as a vital part of their content marketing plan. After all, you’ve already invested time and energy getting to know your customers and the people in your database. They already know,…
Six Content Projects to Rescue Q3 Sales & Marketing Numbers
By the time you reach the half-year mark, it is easy to see what kind of year you’re going to have. If you’re on track, well done. But, if those numbers could look better, you still have time to turn things around. Here are six content marketing tactics you can use to accelerate your efforts…
Align marketing content, the sales process and the buyer’s journey with The Content Connection Tree
Before making a purchase, people turn to Google to research the products and services they want. Providing content that can bridge the gap between your sales funnel and your buyer’s journey is vital because it gives you the opportunity to form a strong relationship with each buyer as they move along the path from being…
Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Board Member since 2012
Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Board Member since 2014
American Copy Editors Society (ACES)
