Entries by Karen Fraser-Middleton

Yes, you need a professional portrait

In the past few weeks, I’ve been asked by several people about getting professional portraits done. A good picture can be used on your social media communication and can be submitted when you are speaking on a program or win an award. It should also be available for the media. I’d recommend Simply Portraits in […]

Sales calls that drill down rather than wear down

Last week, I met with a home improvement sales person. His presentation wore me down. He talked so much that it was hard to ask questions. He also didn’t leave a business card with me. So instead of calling him back, I went to the store to see more samples on my own. Unfortunately the […]

Sandwich Board makes a Come Back

A few weeks ago, I noted more retail establishments than usual using people-powered sandwich boards to attract customers. It appears that this rather old fashioned tactic is making a coming back or business owners are determined to try anything for promotion. Today, I saw a guy in a suit under a sandwich board promoting tax […]

Twitter news offered by AMA

As a past-president of the American Marketing Association Sacramento Valley, I am always delighted when the organization brings speakers to the membership that enrich the marketing field. Today the speaker on Twitter was Alejandro Reyes, Social Marketing Consultant & CEO of SacramentoMarketingLabs.com. I agree with his sentiment that Twitter, like any other marketing tactic — […]

I’m back

It has been easier to dash off a brief thought on twitter at marketgal than write something more substantial on my blog. That’s my excuse anyway. And, you can see my twitter posts from this blog in the right column. Last year, I worked on the the Sierra College new Energy Technology Program that trains […]

OLLI at Sierra College receives endowment

The Placer Herald reported in “$1 million endowment keeps Sierra College adult classes alive” on June 19 that the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Sierra College received a $1 million endowment from the Bernard Osher Foundation. The program offers mentally stimulating courses without tests or homework for active adults. Rocklin Roseville Today also reported on […]

Fresh eggs reflect trends

It is said that the simplest things in life offer the greatest riches. In time for Easter, our young chickens just started laying eggs. The speckled brown egg shells are beautiful. We enjoy the fresh organic eggs that can be gathered at home rather than at the grocery store. Many of my neighbors are raising […]

Prepare for objections to make the sale

As part of training your sales team, prepare them to meet objections. Start by writing down every objection you’ve ever heard from a prospect – it costs too much, there isn’t time to discuss it now, not the right color, need to get approval, no budget available …. Then practice what your response might be […]

Sierra College wins Career Technical Education grant

On March 30 it was announced that “Sierra College wins $500,000 grant to attract students to technical careers.” According to the release, “In today’s economic downturn, skilled workers are fundamental to economic recovery. Sierra College received a $500,000 grant from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office that will support the region’s long-term economic viability through […]

Newsletter Frequency & other tips

One of the questions I was asked by a student in my Sierra College Community Education class last week on writing a marketing plan was – How frequently should you send out a newsletter? I suggest sending it out quarterly. This gives you some flexibility if you get behind schedule or you want to mail […]