Posts Tagged Business
…and then I fired my Client
Posted by Claudiu Geanta in Marketer's Schedule on February 8, 2011
Shocking, right? We all have programmed to think that whatever the client says – the client is always right. Right? Well…I am not that sure anymore. I start to feel a bit like Martin Luther. How about a project that should easily be completed in 3 weeks keeps on dragging for a long time. How does 4 years sound? Is the client still right or are you just plainly too nice (queue “stupid”, “sucker” and other self demeaning words) to accept the fact that the client is not Alpha & Omega?
Sharp Shooting Marketing
Posted by Claudiu Geanta in Marketing Strategies on March 5, 2010
Companies are finding it increasingly difficult to reach their potential customers. Finding your way through the social media and online marketing jungle is not an easy task. That is why, it is crucial for a company or an individual to specialize and focus on a niche market.
I remember when I first started my design business I took calls like: “Can you make me a website with 40 pages for under $200?”, “How about a logo? Can you manipulate my photos and put me next to Pamela Anderson?” My answer was always “yes” regardless if I was able to do any of it or not. I figured I have to “blast” them with my knowledge and show that I am an “all stop shop” for everything design related. I even got requests to create architectural drawings and redesign homes!
Needless to say I was the “jack-of-all-trades; master of just a few”. My life was chaotic and barely had time to catch reruns of “Family Guy”. Even more disturbing was the fact that my business was not even growing. That’s when I realized that this “shot-gun blasting” approach was not quite the one I was looking for.
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5 Questions You Should Ask a SEO Company
Posted by Claudiu Geanta in SEO Killer Tricks on January 20, 2010
First of all – familiarize yourself with basic SEO jargon like: internal/external links, meta tags, titles, pagerank, etc.
This way at least you know what the SEO company is talking about when they make the sales pitch.
Personally, I noticed that the shady ones are often hiding behind geek lingo trying to paint you in a corner by throwing these words at you, thus proving that they know what they are talking about.
You can cut that conversation short and find out how credible and professional they are by asking 5 little questions. Here they are:
- What kind of results should you be able to see and how long will it take to get there?
- What experience do you have in my industry and how long have you been doing this?
- Show/send me examples of your previous work and success stories. Can I contact some of these people?
- Do you follow the Google Webmaster Guidelines?
- What other marketing services do you offer besides SEO?
Just keep this list by your phone and take notes while they answer these questions. I’m sure you are a pretty seasoned business individual so you should be able to spot the shady ones right away. You can download a quick and easy PDF document of “Questions to ask a SEO company” right here.
