A CPA firm spends $11,200 on a Web site that attracts only a handful of visitors. An insurance agency invests $80,000 in an advertising campaign and no one sees the ads. An alternative health clinic sends out 8,000 direct mail fliers and gets 26 responses. A manufacturer spends $28,000 on an attractive brochure that no one uses.

Becoming accustomed to a growing economy is easy and dangerous. Although there are always pockets of problems, we forget that success is often more the result of a good economy than our business acumen. If everyone else is doing well, our major challenge becomes how to pull ahead of the pack. Unfortunately, many business people tend to get a bit lazy-and that's when we can get caught.
There are ways to become more successful, keep business booming, and give companies the opportunity to gain a competitive advantage. Here are 15 ways to develop an extra edge:

AVOID THE SIX ONLINE MARKETING MISTAKES MADE BY MOST AGENTS by Jack Fries These common errors can cripple your online marketing program. According to leading Internet consultant, Ross Jard...

AVOIDING COSTLY MARKETING MISTAKES by Stephen Anderson You can no longer sit back and wait for business to come to you. That's the sure route to becoming a victim of the ch...

THE 10 MOST COMMON INSURANCE AGENCY MARKETING MISTAKES: I by John Graham ...

The preceding article examined five common agency marketing mistakes, together with remedies for these errors. This second in a two-part series by John Graham provides a list of five more mistakes and the reality checks that can overcome them.

Mistake #6. Failure to base decisions on fact. Marketing isn't about what you want to sell; it's about what someone wants to buy.