Sales Sherpas Blog - Your Personal Marketing Guide

Sales Sherpas Hires Director of Business Development

2009-11-30T21:56:00.002-06:00

David Quigley has joined Sales Sherpas, a marketing and sales strategy firm, as the Director of Business Development.

Quigley will complement the growth the company has seen over the last two years by pursuing new markets. He most recently performed similar duties at Linkergy LLC in Chicago, where his tenacity and industry foresight resulted in substantial revenue growth and client retention.

According to CEO Dave Gee, "David easily wins my respect, both on paper and off. His numerous years of business development success and industry knowledge are complemented by his likeable, confident, and professional demeanor. The extra time we spent researching candidates was worth the effort."

Welcome to the Sales Sherpas team Dave!

Dave Gee
www.salessherpas.com

CMOs spend little time on Social Media

2009-11-20T07:35:00.001-06:00

Twitter may be booming, Facebook stratospheric, but leading chief marketing officers are apparently yet to send the dollars wildly chasing the traffic. A new study shows nearly 85% of CMOs spend less than 10% of their budgets on social media, and what's described as "non-traditional communications channels." The research from Hill & Knowlton and peer networking group, the CMO Club, further found that 55% spend 5% or less in the emerging arenas. The figures come in light of Pew & American Life Internet Project research showing that in 2008, 35% of adult Internet users had profiles on social networks -- up from 8% in 2005.

Pete Krainik, the former marketing chief at Avaya and DoubleClick CMO, who is now leading the CMO Club, states using new-media marketing is critical as the former push approach in marketing has switched to more of a pull dynamic. "Marketing used to be a linear process, with a discussion flowing from the CMO to the target audience," he states. "In today's digital age, communication has evolved into a new model that requires active listening and engaging in numerous conversations."

The CMO Club has 800 members and 124 were surveyed for the study between Sept 15 and Oct. 15.
One hurdle: Club members indicated some companies are grappling with putting together social-media marketing policies internally. 31% report their companies are developing a policy -- and an additional 30% say they have one. A policy can be crucial in deciding how much to enlist bloggers as evangelists.
MaryLee Sachs, a top Hill & Knowlton executive, states: "Everyone is an influencer in today's marketplace. Building advocacy by engaging all audiences can lend a tremendous amount of credibility to any marketing program. A holistic approach helps forge new paths to customers, generating brand loyalty and building critical relationships."

All the best-

Dave
www.salessherpas.com

Who is the average LinkedIn User?

2009-10-27T20:56:00.000-05:00

Some interesting statistics on the average LinkedIn user:

Average Age: 41
Household Income: $109,703
Gender: 64% Male
Own Smartphone/PDA: 34%
College Graduate/Post Graduate: 80.1%
Business Decision Maker: 49%
EVP/SVP/VP: 6.5%
Have Portfolio of over $250k: 24%
Job Titles:
C-Level Executives: 7.8%
EVP/SVP: 6.5%
Senior Management: 16%
Middle Management: 18%

Credit to: Nathan Kievman

Dave
www.salessherpas.com

Increase Revenue and Decrease Churn with Bungee

2009-09-29T18:16:00.007-05:00

Businesses are challenged more than ever before to increase revenue per customer, increase customer loyalty and decrease churn. After years of research and thousands of hours development Sales Sherpas has launched "Bungee."

Bungee is a robust online customer loyalty and retention program available today. Until now businesses needed a six-figure budget and months or even years of planning and programming to create an effective online loyalty program. However, Bungee is built on a SAAS(Software As A Service) model. So you only pay a small up-front fee and an on-going license fee.

If you would like to take a first hand test drive please join us for an upcoming Webinar. Simply register with an email to: bungee@salessherpas.com. Provide attendee names, company name, desired session and email address and you will receive an email confirmation.

Upcoming times: (all times CST)
October 16 - 10am-11am and 3pm-4pm
October 21 - 9am-10am and 1pm-2pm
October 29 - 11am-noon and 2pm-3pm

If you are not available for the webinar please contact us at bungee@salesherpas.com and provide us details of your needs, name, company name, email address and phone number.

Bungee...Keep 'em coming back...

All the best-

Dave Gee
CEO & Founder
Sales Sherpas
www.bungeeloyaltyprograms.com

Sales Sherpas Hires DOMO

2009-08-31T12:20:00.005-05:00

Carol Scharfenorth has joined Sales Sherpas as the company's Director of Marketing Operations.
Scharfenorth will assist with strategic account development, manage client marketing
projects and campaigns, and supervise business partner activities. She brings eight years of
telecommunications marketing experience to Sales Sherpas, an important skill set as it
directly enhances the company's primary niche’.

According to CEO Dave Gee, "Carol is dialed in to the future of the telecom industry, but
more importantly, she has strong marketing aptitude combined with boundless energy and
the ability to efficiently and effectively manage projects. Her talents will unquestionably
enhance our ability to provide strong sales growth for our clients.”
Previously, Scharfenorth was a marketing manager at TDS Telecom, a subsidiary of
Telephone and Data Systems.

Welcome aboard Carol!

Dave
www.salessherpas.com

Job Seekers...Censor Your Social Media

2009-08-19T13:30:00.004-05:00

So your aggressively seeking out that next job...following all the proper tactics...networking......building your LinkedIn...etc...

Meanwhile you are also sharing some of your frustrations on your Twitter, Facebook or other social media app and perhaps trashing your old boss or sharing some questionable content.

It is the recruiter's job to make sure you are the best fit possible for that open position. So they will naturally use every tool possible to ensure that fit. Including searching social media. Check out the attached link for some fascinating data.

Continue the search with zeal that next job is just around the corner!

Dave

Is Blogging Dead?

2009-08-13T23:36:00.005-05:00

Our attention spans are shrinking by the day. I now respond to emails (with my team)frequently with 1 letter responses "Y" "N" "K" [Y=Yes, N=No, K=OK]. I am now even drinking the Twitter Kool-Aid. The speed at which we want information is now measured in seconds not minutes....one sentence may suffice...So are the days of blogging dead? Since I have begun using Twitter I have neglected my blog and other previously frequent bloggers are telling me the same thing....They don't have the time to blog but do have the time to Tweet.....What are your thoughts?

Dave
www.salessherpas.com
800.287.7198

Increase Sales Without Lowering Your Prices

2009-07-01T23:19:00.010-05:00

In turbulent times when competitive threats are stronger, customers have reduced budgets, and you have unused capacity the easy move is to lower your price. Your rationale: "We have extra capacity, available salespeople, excess inventory and so on."

What are the long-term impacts? When business bounces back (it will eventually) try going back to your customers and raising your prices. You can call your customers and announce your "post-recession price increase celebration." Perhaps you could include your competition's website and toll free number in your email announcement too.

Sometimes we need to lower prices but it should be your last resort. If you are the low-cost leader in your industry and price is your only competitive advantage you should stop reading immediately.

Before we move into ways to increase your sales without lowering prices it should be stated that the customer needs to be well-qualified. If the customer does not need your services and you have not qualified them many times you will get into a bidding war with your competition. However, if you have a well-qualified customer that needs your services and you have competitive advantage there are additional ways to win the business WITHOUT lower your price.

Ways To Increase Sales Without Lowering Prices:
1) Provide value added services
2) Extend payment terms
3) Offer a longer contract with a "no price increase guarantee"
4) Create promotional offers with related products
5) Incorporate a sweepstakes
6) Make product improvements with no price increase

If you would like to brainstorm other ideas feel free to call and discuss at 800.287.7198.

Sincerely-

Dave
www.salessherpas.com

Trade Shows in a Down Economy

2009-06-07T10:24:00.013-05:00

In these times of budget cut backs trade shows are frequently one of the first marketing efforts to face the chopping block. The common logic is that large fixed costs are always incurred and the sales cycle is too long. Frankly this was my "misconception" until a couple of years ago too. We are now generating roughly 20% of our business via trade shows.

Although creating massive entire trade show "environments" may no longer be financially feasible, eliminating trade shows from your marketing mix entirely is generally not prudent....

10 Tips to Maximize your Trade Show ROI:

1) Select those shows that have the historical highest ROI. Explore new more cost effective shows.

2) Set-up specific trade show goals.
Examples: Set 5 prospect appointments, Close 1 pending sale, Solidify relationship with 2 clients (take to dinner/golf)

3) Ask your business partners if you can co-brand at their exhibit/booth.

4) Select spaces with the best traffic patterns. Avoid being located near competition.

5) Promote your presence through other conference sponsorships (e.g. golf hole sponsorships).

6) Get selected as a guest speaker at conference.

7) Determine trade show must have's vs. nice to have's (budget accordingly).

8) Develop an attractive and engaging presence (e.g. Monitors, Interactive experiences).

9) Provide high value, low cost, long life, promotional items (e.g. flash drives with link to company website-these are a great alternative to expensive sales collateral).

10) Develop an electronic method to collect leads and follow-up within 1 week of show.

Seeking an excellent trade show exhibit partner? Contact Mike Willemin at 3D Exhibits in Chicago - they created the Cardinal Health "environment" above.

If you would like other trade show tips please contact us at 800.287.7198 or inquiry@salessherpas.com.

Happy Selling!

Dave
www.salessherpas.com

To PPC or Not PPC that is the Question

2009-04-09T07:56:00.012-05:00

A friend mine(let's call him Ted) who owns an IT firm recently decided to get into web development and SEO. Obviously, he thought it was as easy as "just add water" and instantly he would become a web dev and SEO guru.

Ted called me with a problem last week. He had developed a website for an office supply company and incorporated some sound SEO techniques, but after 3 weeks the website wasn't generating any traffic. The client was livid, they had spent a large sum on a new website [with the "build it and they will come" mentality] and it was not generating any ROI.

I first shared with Ted that unless the product is incredibly unique and has broad market awareness, plan on a minimum of 6 months to start seeing results from his SEO efforts. I then asked Ted about what kind of paid search(pay-per-click) initiatives they had incorporated. Ted stated "Pay-Per-Click doesn't work and it is too expensive." My first response was "Ted how do you think Google stays in business...it's not from offering free web searches." Then I asked him to do some basic math with me.

For the office supply company let's say the average profit is $40 per sale. Let's estimate the conversion rate is 5%. So 1 out of 20 clicks will turn into sales. Therefore, the office supply company will break-even at $2/click ($40 profit per sale/20 clicks to generate 1 sale). Suddenly the light bulb went on for Ted.

Paid search (Pay-Per-Click) generates immediate traffic to your website to rollout a new website, promote a new product or service, or simply increase sales. It also can be highly targeted by buyer behavior, geography etc. and is therefore can be a very efficient and effective marketing tool.

There is a science behind creating an effective paid search campaign and should complement on-going SEO initiatives. The research and on-going testing and management are critical to its success. If you would like to discuss how to generate a higher volume of qualified leads to your website via paid search please contact us at 800.287.7198 or inquiry@salessherpas.com.

Thanks,

Dave
www.salessherpas.com

Marketing Research On A Budget

2009-03-26T08:53:00.008-05:00

So your marketing budget has been trimmed down. You know that your customers needs are changing. You know that your prospects needs are changing. You know you cannot make develop new marketing strategies and tactics on anecdotal information from the field or customer service.

Marketing research is the logical solution...but you have no budget you say? There are a plethora of services now available online for less than $25/month. Services including: iContact, Constant Contact, Survey Monkey and more.

Words of Caution:
1) Define your actionable goals in advance
2) Have a professional researcher develop the questions
4) Email marketing has inherent biases (difficult to make blind with a representative sample)
5) Have a copywriter review the questions (poorly worded questions will kill your credibility)
6) Don't take immediate action on a small sample (example: we got responses within minutes on a recent survey we conducted but after 2 days our results had shifted dramatically).

If you have questions on marketing research please contact us. We have experience with all forms of marketing research: Email, In-Person, Focus Groups, Telephone, Mail and Online Immersion.

Dave
800.287.7198
david.gee@salessherpas.com
www.salessherpas.com

Recession Humor

2009-03-06T13:55:00.015-06:00

Well the sun is shining brightly here in Wisconsin and I thought it was the perfect time to pop-off a quick note to lighten your day......... before I cut out early.

Top 10 things you don't want to be asked during a recession:
1) How's business?
2) Could you take on this "little" project?
3) Are you guys hiring?
4) How big was your bonus check?
5) Did you get that raise you were counting on?
6) How is your job these days?
7) What do you think of my new BMW?
8) You guys going to Hawaii again this year?
9) Did you hear the Miami trade show got cancelled?
10) Do you know when we get our severance checks?

Here is some perspective on this recession from a 75 year-old friend of mine named Joe......"Any day above ground is a good day."

Dave

If you have any ideas for our blog(or think we are just plain insensitive) feel free to call us at 800.287.7198 or contact us via our website at www.salessherpas.com.

Creating An Experience?

2009-02-13T10:47:00.007-06:00

It is easy for marketers to get stuck in a creative rut and keep cranking out the same old tired material. The assignment is handed to the creative team: Here is the promotion, here are the target markets, here are the products that we need to promote......Before you know it VOILA!... you have the same old campaign simply "dressed-up in new clothing."

People don't want to just purchase products and services, they want an experience. Many of you are familiar with the "Mad Men" series that chronicles the events at a Madison Avenue agency during the 1960s. I was recently watching the show and found a clip that struck a chord with me. The agency is pitching the "new" Kodak Slide Carousel.

Are you simply promoting a product or conveying a new customer experience?

All the best,

Dave

Union Telephone Website Goes Live!

2009-01-16T12:36:00.008-06:00

Sales Sherpas is excited to announce the launch of the new Union Telephone Company website. The website creates a strong online presence for Union Telephone and also functions as a powerful sales tool. The new database-driven website provides product availability for each specific customer address. The website also provides local resources such as movie listings, school information and more.

Search engine optimization was also provided which has moved the website to the top tier rankings in Google and Yahoo.

"The new website generated sales within a few hours of going online." - Reed Warner General Manager - Union Telephone Company.

www.uniontel.net

If you are looking to increase your sales through a new website or other search engine marketing please contact us at 800.287.7198 email us at info@salessherpas.com. If you would like to learn more please visit us at: www.salessherpas.com

Dave

New Year's Resolutions for Marketers

2008-12-31T12:55:00.010-06:00

We have just finalized our 2009 Strategic Marketing Plan. Along with that plan I thought about some New Year's Resolutions that we as marketers could all follow in '09.

1) Don't whine about the economy..deal with it
2) Look for new market segments
3) Spend more time with customers
4) Do 1 ride along per month with a salesperson
5) Develop a loyalty program
6) Benchmark with people outside your firm
7) Create a customer referral program
8) Rollout a sales contest
9) Don't lower your prices (it will come back to haunt you)
10) Organize a fun activity....yes at work

We live in a great country. It is still the land of opportunity. Let's go out there and make it happen.

Dave

www.salessherpas.com

Social Media - Unchartered Territory

2008-12-21T21:02:00.012-06:00

Social media is still in its infancy and we marketers are still trying to determine how to harness its power. There is no doubt of the explosion of social media. According to a poll conducted during the second quarter by Forrester Research, 75% of U.S.-based Internet users report taking part in some form of social media this year, up from 56% during the second quarter of 2007.

Facebook, which boasts more than 120 million current active members and is the leading social network worldwide attracted more than 39 million U.S.-based unique visitors in September 2008, a 116% increase over the same period in 2007.

We marketers are entering into unchartered territory. Never before have we utilized a marketing medium where we have such little control. Social media is the Wild West of marketing. We are not in control the users are in control. So how do we navigate through this new territory?

Big firms and small alike are flocking to social marketing to set-up pages on social networks. More and more firms are launching blogs, online communities, posting videos and consumer-generated review systems. However, simply launching these efforts is not enough. Monitoring these mediums for user generated content is also vital. We can quickly discover flaws in our products/services that were not caught during product development. New uses for our products/services are discovered.

Social marketing is in its infancy...it is a time of experimentation. However, we must not get overzealous and blow our entire marketing budgets on social marketing. It is yet another arrow in our marketing quiver. So, put your strategy in place and begin exploring this exciting new medium.

Dave

www.salessherpas.com

Tips for downsized Marketers

2008-12-18T05:00:00.009-06:00

Many marketers have been downsized in the past year. Having done some recent hiring I have become keenly aware of the volume of high-caliber marketers out there looking for jobs. BTW-I have also been through a downsizing (I can relate).

Here are some tips for Downsized Marketers:

1) Don't panic - It may take sometime to find that next job but it is out there
2) Scale back on unnecessary expenses
3) Avoid cashing in your 401k look at other sources for income first
4) Write down a game plan
a) List all of the people in your network (you may already have these in LinkedIn)
b) If you aren't on LinkedIn set-up an account now (it is free and a great job search tool)
c) List family and friends (these are also part of your network)
d) Develop an email that can be forwarded to prospective employers (via your network)
5) Set-up a goal to have lunch/coffee with 4 people per week in your network
6) Contact employers(hiring managers) you wish to work for - don't wait for a job posting
7) Do some consulting/freelance work - This will provide you new experiences, generate some cash and also fill in the "employment gap" while you are looking.
7) Create a personal website - Network Solutions provides a template format and url for $125/yr
8) Create an email address tied to your new website (e.g. david.gee@geecreative.com)
9) Search job boards:
* Big Shoes Network - (great resource in Wisconsin, Illinois, Wisconsin). BSN is focused on marketing and advertising only and top firms are using it to recruit. bigshoesnetwork.com
* LinkedIn - Good business social-networking tool
* Marketingjobs.com - A pretty good resource although jobs are limited
* Direct Marketing Association - Good source but many DM jobs only. the-dma.org
* Marketing Ladder - Set-up mainly for $100k+ marketing jobs - marketing-jobs.theladders.com
* American Marketing Association - marketingpower.com
* Sites such as Monster,CareerBuilder do have some solid jobs but tend to less-focused and everyone else is looking there too.
10) Spend time with your family - you will probably not get a break like this again.

Hang-in there....you will find a great opportunity

Merry Christmas and have a wonderful '09.

Dave

www.salessherpas.com

Come to the Summit

2008-12-16T05:46:00.002-06:00

As of December 15th we are in our new office, aka "The Summit." The new location will provide us larger space for growth and better serve our clients. The new location will be equipped with a contemporary multimedia system to facilitate online collaboration meetings and client discovery sessions. The new location is: 210 East O'Connor Drive - Elkhorn, WI - 53121. Please come and visit us to discuss your needs or just come over and grab a beer (HR hasn't put a stop to that one yet).

All the best,

Dave

Learning from Disney

2008-11-25T05:52:00.011-06:00

My family and I just returned home from a wonderful trip to Disneyworld. I have traveled the world but incredibly never to see Mickey.

After about 3 days of winding down via Disney immersion I could not help but put my marketer's hat back on. One of the first things that struck me was the crowds of people. "What recession?" We spent at $5,000 including airfare for 5 days at Disney (for a family of 4). Which seems about average from talking to friends. So we have thousands upon thousands of families during tough economic times spending a significant amount of money on a few days of entertainment. How does Disney do it?

Lessons we can learn from Disney:

1) Create a unique customer experience - Do what others can't
2) Make buying easy - Reduce the steps in you sales process
3) Spread the word - Use blogs, email and social media
4) Generate excitement - Do something fun for your team
5) You can still charge a premium - Premium services=Premium prices

Don't get dragged down by current economic challenges and let it control you and your firm. There are great opportunities for all of us in 2009! Think about new ideas to create new experiences for your customers and then spread the word.

All the best,

Dave

www.salessherpas.com

You can steal my chili recipe....

2008-10-26T15:28:00.011-05:00

I was recently giving a seminar at a conference. I like to greet people as they enter my seminars to help ensure that I deliver them helpful information. So as usual, I was doing so. As I gazed outside the door to the seminar I noticed one of my competitors waiting in the hallway (obviously waiting to come in).

So, as with all of the participants I greeted and welcomed her. During the seminar I noticed she was feverishly taking notes. Part of me was amused and the other part felt like she was stealing proprietary information. Then I reflected back to a quote from a friend of mine, Vic, from Texas.

"You can steal my chili recipe....but you still can't make my chili."

Ultimately, it is not technology, trade secrets, patents, or contracts that determine your success....it is you and your people.

All the best,

Dave

BTW-If the picture above got your mouth watering, email us and we will send you our favorite chili recipe. - inquiry@salessherpas.com

Search Engine Optimization Strategies

2008-10-21T03:51:00.013-05:00

SEO(Search Engine) optimization is now a key tool in creating an effective online presence. A few clients have recently asked me "how much would it cost to optimize my site?" Typically the client is seeking a one time investment and only considering on-page optimization.

First of all, we need to discuss on-page versus off-page optimization.

On-Page Optimization focuses on elements ON your website:
1) Meta tags
2) Keywords
3) Title tags
4) Other elements behind the code

These on-page optimization components help drive page rankings on search but they do not represent the entire SEO picture. Most firms stop with on-page optimization.

Off-page optimization refers to links that connect to your website. This is sometimes also called "link popularity." This also drives page ranking. Before you run off and add as many links as possible to your website....stop. You want to ensure you have relevant links. Developing links from irrelevant sites is simply a waste of your time and frankly of the visitors time. Spend some time thinking about where visitor's would go to get complementary information.

Example: If you are a carpet retailer perhaps you want to develop links from remodeling contractors.

The SEO Process is not a one-time event where you spend a few thousand dollars and magically "your website is optimized." Keep in mind many firms, including perhaps your competition, are also optimizing their site therefore your ranking could be consistently declining.

Develop on-page and off-page SEO strategies and tactics. Then create a monthly or quarterly budget to drive those strategies and tactics. If you have the internal knowledge and people to develop these strategies and tactics commit those resources accordingly.

If you need assistance with your SEO strategy and tactics to help drive your online presence please contact us at 800.287.7198 or at inquiry@salessherpas.com

Thanks,

Dave

www.salessherpas.com

10 Secrets to Achieving Marketing ROI

2008-10-16T08:00:00.008-05:00

Dave Gee, our CEO, recently completed a seminar on "10 Secrets to Achieving Marketing ROI." It provides critical tools for marketers during tough economic times and those with shrinking marketing budgets.

Some of the secrets include:
1) Incorporating key marketing measurements
* Which measurements are the most important

2) Importance of testing
* Key components to test

3) Utilization of Pay-Per-Click campaigns
* How your competition is diverting searches to your website

If you would like a free copy of the seminar PowerPoint slides please email: inquiry@salessherpas.com.

Please Include:
1) Your first and last name
2) Company name
3) Email address where you would like the presentation sent
4) Reference seminar "10 Secrets to Achieving Marketing ROI"

You can contact Dave Gee directly at 262.949.4969 if you have any specific questions or requests for seminar engagements.

www.salessherpas.com

WSTA Speaking Engagement

2008-10-08T07:00:00.013-05:00

David Gee, Sales Sherpas CEO and University of Wisconsin - Madison Marketing instructor, has been invited as a guest speaker to the Wisconsin State Telecommunications Association Fall Conference - October 13th-15th in Stevens Point, WI.

The topic will be "10 Secrets to Achieving Marketing ROI." Attendees will gain insights on how to measure their marketing, implementation of marketing tests, web-based tools that deliver strong ROI and more.

The presentation will be held Tuesday October 14th from 2:00pm-2:50pm in the Stonefield room(Meeting Room 3). Space will be limited to this event so WSTA members should arrive early.

PowerPoint slides of the presentation will be available by request after the conference at: inquiry@salessherpas.com or 800.287.7198.

Website Costs

2008-10-07T22:51:00.010-05:00

During initial discovery meetings many of our clients frequently rush to the question of "how much do you charge for a website?" Clients that have never built a website before or have a first- generation website tend to shop on price. They tend seek out their brother-in-law who is a sociology major "but does websites on the side." Then they will brag about how they spent $1,000.00 on their new website.

These low budget websites frequently:

1) Are never designed to achieve a specific goal or action

2) Lack the visual appeal necessary to engage the audience

3) Do not contain the necessary information desired by the target audience

4) Have no support from the original web designer

5) Possess outdated information

6) Have not been optimized

7) Contain programming errors, dead links and more

8) Most importantly do not drive sales

After a few months or sometimes years the client realizes that their current website is actually damaging their image. They start reviewing their competitors websites and realize that their prospective customers are going through the same process. This is when companies start seeking professional website designers to develop their new web presence.

Let me cut to the chase.....There is no average website cost. Just like every client, every website is different.

Some of the questions that need to be asked - that will determine your cost:

1) What are the goals of the website? (e.g. inquiries, sales)

2) Do you need to incorporate animation or video?

3) What graphical images will need to be created?

4) Will the website require database capabilities?

5) How many rounds of edits will be included? (you WILL underestimate this)?

6) Who will maintain/update the website?

7) Do you need the website to be optimized? (It should be)

8) What will be the final number of pages? (you WILL underestimate this too)

9) Will you provide all of the copy or will you need a copywriter?

10) Is the website being built from scratch or are there components that can be reused?

Lastly, ask yourself this question..."How many sales will it take to break-even on this website?" This will help you determine whether the proposed website is a good investment or not.

If you have questions about this blog or questions about Sales Sherpas website services you may reach us at 800.287.7198 or visit us at www.salessherpas.com.

Google's boosts Web Search dominance

2008-09-19T05:44:00.007-05:00

(Reuters) - Google Inc. extended an already wide lead in the U.S. Web search market to a 63 percent share. This represents its biggest monthly gain in five months.

Yahoo, the No. 2 player in the U.S. Web search market saw its share drop .9 percent to 19.6 from July, while MSN the No. 3 player, slipped .6 percent to 8.3 percent according to ComScore Inc.

ComScore estimates that the number of searches performed by U.S. Web surfers on the top five search engines was virtually unchanged at 11.75 billion searches compared with July. This figure excludes directory information, information or user-generated videos.