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Tom Egelhoff

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Author, Speaker, Business Owner, Radio Talk Show Host, Small Town Marketing.Com

492 points

Author of "How to Market, Advertise and Promote Your Business or Service in Your Own Backyard" (Wiley), and "The Small Town Advertising Handbook: How to Say More and Spend Less" (Eagle Marketing).
Contributing Editor / Columnist: Vetrepreneur Magazine targeted to small ...

Author of "How to Market, Advertise and Promote Your Business or Service in Your Own Backyard" (Wiley), and "The Small Town Advertising Handbook: How to Say More and Spend Less" (Eagle Marketing).
Contributing Editor / Columnist: Vetrepreneur Magazine targeted to small business owners who served in the military.

Monthly Columnist: Billings Business, Montana's largest business publication.

Weekly radio talk show host of "Open for Business" on http://kmmsam.com Saturdays 11-2 PM mountain time.

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Nov. 8, 2011

Tom Egelhoff and 6 other people answered this question

What are the best ways to network for somebody who has recently moved to a new city?

I moved to Bozeman, MT on a Saturday and the only soul I knew was my new boss. So, the following Monday morning I was at the Chamber asking what I could do. They decided the Business Resource committee would be the best place for ... more

Human Resources

Career Development

Professional Networking

Nov. 6, 2011

Tom Egelhoff and 17 other people answered this question

How do I compete with businesses that can offer similar products/services at a lower cost?

As a former Prudential life insurance agent I would use the same technique above with one important difference. Some people buy insurance because of the reputation of the company. Others buy it because of the reputation of the agent. Which are you?
You are not ... more

Nov. 6, 2011

Tom Egelhoff and 15 other people answered this question

Do you think businesses need to provide great customer service on Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

Black Friday is typically the biggest retail shopping day of the year and most retailers just pray they are still standing when it's over. Customer service is important every day of the year but it's the KIND of service that's delivered on Black Friday that ... more

Customer Service

Customer Experience

Nov. 6, 2011

Tom Egelhoff and 46 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Customer 2.0 Is Mad as Hell [11/3 @ 11 am]

Are face-to-face conversations still the most powerful way to connect with a prospect?

One of my early sales jobs was with Victor Business Machines. Every Monday morning I would make 75 cold calls, door to door trying to find 20 businesses that would let me bring a product in for them to try. The national closing average was ... more

Nov. 6, 2011

Tom Egelhoff is now following Harley McKenson and 9 other people

Oct. 31, 2011

Tom Egelhoff and 4 other people answered this question

Do research firms have an ethical obligation to notify respondents they intend to sell the research?

I think it depends on the type of research you are doing. For example, www.marketingexperiments.com charges companies $5,000 to do research and post the finding to anyone free of charge. Company names and products or services are not revealed in the findings but the research ... more

Business Ethics

Business Research

July 19, 2011

Tom Egelhoff and 14 other people answered this question

What are easy ways for small businesses to (almost) instantly improve customer experience?

Call every single customer by name as soon as you know it.

Customer Service

Customer Experience

July 13, 2011

Tom Egelhoff and 6 other people answered this question

Unemployment is at 9.2%, so why are there still jobs that organizations cannot fill?

I don't think its a matter of not being able to fill positions as much as it is justifying the expense to fill that position. It will cost a company almost $75,000 in salary and benefits to pay an employee $55,000 of which the employee ... more

Human Resources

July 12, 2011

Tom Egelhoff and 6 other people answered this question

Why is the quality of customer service declining year after year?

That's why Murvyn's, Circuit City, Linen's and Things, Levitz, and Montgomery Ward are no longer in existence. At one time we all adopted the Japanese business model, then it was the "In Search of Excellence" philosophy. With today's internet a customer often knows the products ... more

Customer Service

General Management

Customer Advisory Board

July 1, 2011

Tom Egelhoff and 10 other people answered this question

What is the KEY to asking the RIGHT questions?

"Never ask a question you don't already know the answer to," is taught on the first day of law school. It simply means that you are fully prepared before any conversation begins. Preparation, research, understanding the customer's needs, experience and listening skills all play a ... more

General Management

June 29, 2011

Tom Egelhoff and 31 other people answered this question

As a salesperson, when do you ever accept 'no' as an answer?

I will always accept "no" from an invalid customer. Not matter how much the boss wants me to get rid of all those size 6 shoes I can't sell them to size 7 customers.
The question is not so much getting yes or no answers ... more

Sales Management

June 27, 2011

Tom Egelhoff answered this question

What are the best examples you've see of low cost/high impact marketing?

My best example would have to be the marketing campaign launching the Apple Macintosh computer. According to Advertising Age, the ad that launched the Mac is the best ad ever produced and was shown only once during the 1984 Super Bowl. In 60 seconds, Apple ... more

Customer Acquisition

June 13, 2011

Tom Egelhoff and 4 other people answered this question

Does more content necessarily equate to more leads? Why/why not?

I think the more important issue is quality vs. quantity. We've all heard the old axiom, "Content is King." Whether it's a blog, web site or forum, the thing that brings people back is helpful, informative, consistent content. After all, isn't the objective to create ... more

Content Marketing

May 26, 2011

Tom Egelhoff and 4 other people answered this question

Do you agree with Peter Thiel? Does college get in the way of entrepreneurship?

As someone who has no college degree but has written a textbook used at two universities I feel I am qualified to opine on this topic. There's an old saying, "A students teach, B students and C students work for D students."
I would never ... more

General Management

Information Technology

Entrepreneurship

Higher Education

May 20, 2011

Stein Sektnan selected a best answer for

How much information is needed for the customer service representative?

When responding to a customer inquiry how much does the customer service representative need to know about the past of the customer? What is too much and why and is more always giving better customer service? In advising customers on how to approach it there ... more

Customer Service

Contact Centers

May 19, 2011

Tom Egelhoff and 9 other people answered this question

What is your definition of service? Please, no examples.

My definition of service is very simple, "Provide the best possible service you can deliver, day in and day out, to each and every person, and still be profitable." more

Customer Service

May 14, 2011

Tom Egelhoff and 12 other people answered this question

What separates mediocre organizations from excellent organizations?

One of the military branches used to use the phrase, "if you're good enough to get in." In my home town of Bozeman is Owenhouse Ace Hardware. If you stopped ten people on the street and asked who has the best customer service 9 out ... more

Customer Service

General Management

May 11, 2011

Tom Egelhoff and 8 other people answered this question

How do you define what a customer need is?

How many people "needed" the Hula Hoop the day before it came out? Answer: Zero. The day after, week after, month after, millions suddenly had the need for one. Every Christmas there is that one toy every kid wants and every store is out of. ... more

Customer Service

Customer Experience

Innovation & Design

Following 9 Topics

Customer Service

General Management

Following 14 People

Followed by 36 People

Knowledgeable in 56 Topics

Customer Service

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General Management

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Sales Management

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Customer Experience

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Contact Centers

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Information Technology

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Customer Satisfaction

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Employee Engagement

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Professional Networking

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Survey Methodology

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Data Collection

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Product Development

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Sales Strategies

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Customer Loyalty

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Social Networking

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Search Marketing

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Search Engine Optimization

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Content Marketing

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Career Development

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