#CRM and marketing automation system

[ask8ny]

The Local Business Marketing Plan

For Owners Who Want More Foot Traffic, Calls, and Conversions — Without Losing Their Mind

Introduction

Running a local business isn’t just about offering great products or services. It’s about getting found online, building trust fast, and staying top-of-mind in your community. In a digital-first world, your storefront needs to live just as strongly on Google and social media as it does on Main Street.

Hi, I’m Auggie. I’ve worked with some of the most recognized local and national retail businesses—like Modell’s Sporting Goods, New York Sports Club, Lacrosse Unlimited, and many others. 

1. Build a Brand That Makes You the Local Favorite

Why this matters:

Your brand is the first impression customers get—online or offline. Whether they find you on Google, scroll past your Instagram, or drive by your sign, you want them to instantly recognize your value. A strong brand improves local business credibility, in-store traffic, and repeat customer loyalty.

What it includes:

Clear messaging around your unique local value proposition

A consistent visual identity that pops in signage, menus, and social media

Stellar reviews and a reputation management system that builds trust 24/7

For more visit at https://www.ask8.com/p/the-local-business-marketing-plan

2. Get Found: Marketing + Prospecting = Power

Why this matters:

Being a great business isn’t enough if people can’t find you. Combining digital marketing strategies for local businesses with hands-on outreach creates a steady stream of new customers and builds your reputation as a visible community player.

 A) Marketing That Works for Local Businesses:

Google Business Profile optimization with updated hours, reviews, photos, and service categories

Geo-targeted Facebook/Instagram ads that promote seasonal specials to people within 5–10 miles

Local SEO content: blog posts and FAQ pages that answer popular “near me” search phrases

Dedicated landing pages that highlight promotions, services, or appointment booking

For more visit at https://www.ask8.com/p/the-local-business-marketing-plan

3. Content & Social Media: Tell Your Story, Show Your People

Why this matters:

People buy from people they know. Telling your brand’s story and showcasing your team and customer experience through content marketing for local businesses creates emotional connections and builds trust. It also improves engagement, reach, and conversion rates on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Google.

Smart Local Content Ideas:

Team spotlights and behind-the-scenes fun (great for Instagram Reels and TikTok)

User-generated content: photos from happy customers and check-ins

Before/after transformations or in-progress services

Short videos that answer common questions or show your unique vibe

For more visit at https://www.ask8.com/p/the-local-business-marketing-plan

4. Automate Your Follow-Up (and Keep 'Em Coming Back)

Why this matters:

The easiest customers to win are the ones who already know you. But too many businesses forget to follow up. With an innovative CRM and marketing automation system, you can increase repeat visits and maximize your customer lifetime value.

What to automate:

Thank-you texts and emails after every appointment or purchase

Monthly email newsletters featuring promotions, events, or local highlights

For more visit at https://www.ask8.com/p/the-local-business-marketing-plan

5. Owner Mindset: You’re the Boss, Not the Bottleneck

Why this matters:

As a local business owner, you wear a lot of hats. But the more your business depends on you to operate, the less it can grow. Systems, tools, and mindset shifts free up your time to focus on what matters most—scaling sustainably and showing up as the leader your business needs.

We help you focus on:

Time-blocking and batching content creation or marketing tasks

Creating SOPs and training a VA or part-timer to handle admin

Implementing user-friendly software to simplify scheduling, orders, or communication

Example: A bakery owner used this mindset shift to automate online orders, schedule posts 2 weeks in advance, and take Mondays off. Sales still grew 20% in 60 days—and burnout dropped to zero.

✅ Final Thoughts: Your Community Needs to Find You

You’ve built something awesome. Now let’s get more local visibility, website traffic, calls, and in-store visits—without burning out.

To Read the entire information visit at https://www.ask8.com/p/the-local-business-marketing-plan

[unitedstatesrei]

Automate, Elevate, and Build a Business That Works for You with Caroline Hobbs

Key Takeaways Automating systems and setting clear expectations are the keys to building a scalable, sustainable business. Agents should start with their personal sphere and consistently ask for the business without fear. Leveraging AI and SOPs empowers agents to save time and focus on income-producing tasks. United States Real Estate Investor The REI Agent with Caroline Hobbs https://youtu.be/rpR6yoX4TIg Follow and subscribe to The REI Agent on social Facebook Instagram Youtube .cls-1fill:#fff; Linkedin X-twitter United States Real Estate Investor It's time to have an investor-friendly agent on your team! It's time to have an investor-friendly agent on your team! United States Real Estate Investor From Open Houses to Ownership: Caroline Hobbs’ Rise to Real Estate Mastery In this eye-opening episode of The REI Agent Podcast, Mattias hosts the extraordinary Caroline Hobbs, a powerhouse in real estate, tech, and team building. While Erica is out for physical therapy, Mattias flies solo to spotlight a woman whose story screams resilience, vision, and innovation. Caroline isn’t just a top-producing agent. She’s the founder of Reward Realty, one of California’s youngest-ever brokers, and the brain behind a revolutionary real estate CRM that’s changing how agents work nationwide. “I graduated college in 2009—arguably the worst time in history to try and get a job in finance.” Her story begins with inherited wisdom. As a third-generation real estate expert, Caroline was practically born to build an empire. What started with open houses during college soon transformed into a thriving brokerage, and eventually, a pioneering tech company designed for agents by an agent. Starting Young, Going Big: The Journey of a 21-Year-Old Broker Caroline doesn’t just talk the talk—she’s lived every part of it. At just 21, she became a licensed broker, stepping into an industry most were fleeing during the housing crash. Her mentor, a Keller Williams legend with over 10,000 contacts in her database, gave Caroline the tactical experience to thrive in chaos. “I was probably the youngest broker in the state for a while… because I graduated early and the experience rule hadn’t kicked in yet.” That early exposure to system-building and data management laid the foundation for something bigger: leading her own team, then creating a platform that helps others do the same, faster, smarter, and more profitably. Real Brokerage, Real Growth, Real Results Fast forward to today, Caroline’s team under Real Brokerage has grown from 4 to 9 agents in just four months. Her secret? Monthly masterminds, relentless expectation setting, and systems that allow every team member to build sustainably. “We teach people how to treat us—but we also set the expectations for our clients, our team, and our business.” She’s not just closing deals. She’s mentoring minds and building leaders. From showings to SOPs, Caroline’s influence runs deep in every aspect of her operation. She reminds us that real leadership is built on communication, follow-through, and vision. The Software That’s Reshaping the Agent's Life Caroline’s CRM isn’t just another shiny object, it’s a full-stack assistant that reads documents, transcribes calls, tracks deadlines, and automates client communication. “We help agents build out their SOPs, automate their transactions, and create time-saving systems that actually serve them.” With integrations into DocuSign, Dropbox, Fellow, and custom pipelines, it’s a plug-and-play system that frees up time for what matters: serving people. The CRM even uses AI to summarize phone calls, schedule follow-ups, and trigger marketing automations. It’s the very definition of working smarter, not harder. Train Like a Pro with Caroline’s AI Roleplay Coach Caroline also created a custom GPT tool for her team that roleplays lead conversations, provides feedback, and trains agents on how to confidently convert calls into clients. “It gives them

real-time feedback on what they did well and how they can improve—and it’s trained with Tom Ferry and Phil Jones language.” New agents use it daily to sharpen their skills before ever picking up a phone. She understands that the biggest gaps in success are often confidence and preparation, and she’s built tools to bridge both. Want More Deals? Ask for the Business. When Mattias asked Caroline for one golden nugget for new agents, she didn’t flinch. “Start with your sphere and ask for the business. Don’t be shy to say, ‘Do you know anyone looking to buy or sell?’” Her advice is refreshingly practical—start face-to-face, lean on your community, and build your skills over time. AI and automation are tools, but relationships and reputation are still the foundation. Final Words of Wisdom from a Trailblazer To close out the episode, Caroline recommends the game-changing book Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell. “You should be out making the sales, not buried in paperwork. Automate and delegate everything else.” From strategy to software to soul, Caroline Hobbs embodies what The REI Agent is all about: building wealth while staying aligned with who you are and what matters most. Want to work smarter, lead better, and live bolder? Start by asking better questions. Caroline did, and it changed everything. Stay tuned for more inspiring stories on The REI Agent podcast, your go-to source for insights, inspiration, and strategies from top agents and investors who are living their best lives through real estate. For more content and episodes, visit reiagent.com. United States Real Estate Investor Create healing and connection within yourself, your family, and your community. Create healing and connection within yourself, your family, and your community. United States Real Estate Investor Contact Caroline Hobbs Reward Realty Linktree United States Real Estate Investor Mentioned References Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell Tom Ferry Phil Jones Real Brokerage Google Forms ChatGPT United States Real Estate Investor Transcript Welcome to the REI Agent, a holistic approach to life through real estate. I'm Mattias, an agent and investor. And I'm Erica, a licensed therapist. Join us as we interview guests that also strive to live bold and fulfilled lives through business and real estate investing. Tune in every week for interviews with real estate agents and investors. Ready to level up? Let's do it. Welcome back to the REI Agent. It's your friendly local neighborhood real estate agent podcast host, Mattias, an investor. We are not, we don't have Erica with us today. So unfortunately, she had to go to PT. So we will hopefully have her here on the next one. But we did have a great guest today, Caroline Hobbs. Caroline is a team lead. She's an experienced agent, broker, and now a software owner. She has a CRM that she sells that has a lot of automations and stuff built in. It's pretty cool. So definitely check out the show notes if you are interested in hearing more about that. She can, you can see where, you know, in her link tree what all is available. I think that in this business, there's a lot of shiny objects. There's a lot of people that are trying to kind of get your money and can be distracting. Sometimes we get focused or persuaded into something. It could be changing brokerages. It could be, you know, this new tool that's fun. It could be a new system. I'm certainly guilty of this stuff. But I think at the end of the day, if you are focused on providing your clients with consistent, clear communication and you're setting expectations, you're going to do really well. So if you focus on those as the core tenement, and if you are building out systems and processes that help enhance that, I think that's what's really key in business that you already have. That's not necessarily something that will help you gain more business, other than people might rave about your services because they felt like they were taken care of the whole time.

So no matter what you do in this business, no matter what kind of things that you look into, because I think, you know, systems and processes and software, AI, all that stuff can be incredibly powerful. Just don't lose sight of what's really important when you are interacting with your clients. I think that's the key there. But without further ado, I'm going to keep this one short. We're going to go right into Caroline Hobbs. She, again, is out of the Silicon Valley area. She is an experienced agent. She may have been, and she talks about this, the youngest broker in the whole state of California for a couple months. So without further ado, Caroline Hobbs. Welcome back to the REI Agent. I am here with Caroline Hobbs. Caroline, thanks so much for joining us today. Thanks for having me. Hey, Caroline, you got a couple different hats. You have been an agent for a while. You've now team lead and you own a software company, correct? Correct. Yeah, awesome. To get started, I want to dive into all this different stuff, but let's get started by just kind of hearing how you got into real estate to begin with. Yeah, definitely. So I am third generation in real estate. So you could kind of say that I was born into it. My grandfather used to flip properties. He was a contractor. And after my mom graduated college, he encouraged her to go on and get her real estate license, which she did. She worked for Fieldstone down in Southern California, selling new homes for years and years, and eventually moved over to the lending side of things. While I was in college, I got a part-time job. I had no intention of going into real estate, as I have my degree in finance, but got a job hosting open houses for a realtor in Palo Alto and decided that I liked it. So shortly after graduation, I got my broker's license and a few years after that, started my independent brokerage. Nice. Wow, that's awesome. So you jumped right into starting your own brokerage, not just a new team. You went right into being your own broker. Well, so the realtor that trained me, just to give you a little bit of perspective, I started working for her in 2008, 2007, something around right there, and right at the heat of the crash as the market was crumbling. I graduated college. You needed to get into it. I graduated college in 2009, which is basically the worst time in history to try and get a job in finance. I was still working with the agent that trained me, and honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better mentor. The woman who I got to work with, she was internationally ranked as the top-selling agent in all of Keller Williams. She had a database at the time of over 10,000 people, which this is before people used databases. So I was hosting her open houses. I was organizing all of her clients in her database. I got a lot of really tactical, hands-on experience for how to manage contacts, how to stir the pot and turn that into actual business. So I worked with her for the first five, six years of my career, and then I was teaching a lot of classes at Keller Williams. I went off. I became an independent agent with them, but ultimately, I felt like my time was being pulled in multiple directions with being in the bigger office and having my broker's license. I felt confident that I could do it, and so I started Reward Realty in 2011. And I started that in 2013, and I ran it as an independent for 11 years. Wow. That's awesome. Just real quick before I forget, do you have any fun ways of re-engaging a database of that size that you could share? Honestly, the technologies have changed so much. So the tactics I use today to serve databases like that versus the tactics I used 10 years ago are very different. I am really big on utilizing tags and client types. I'm also pretty big on utilizing pipelines to analyze your business, kind of scoping out a little bit. I think the most important thing is to make sure that your contacts are always properly categorized.

And then when we talk about my software, I can kind of talk about ways that we have built our system to help agents keep those things top priority as they're working in their database. So that way, it's easier to identify those low-hanging fruit. Okay. Yeah, we'll have to get into that. I do want to talk a little bit about team building first. So when you got your brokerage, did you already have agents that were going to join you or were you just kind of at that point going to be a solo broker agent? Or did you hire an admin? What was that process like? For most of the time that I ran my brokerage as an independent, I had just an admin TC and a couple agents with me, like two or three for most of the time. So it was never, I was always the top producing agent. I was in some cases feeding other agents that were with me. Being independent was great. It was really lonely at first because I went from a team in an office environment to being on my own. And so having that assistant really helped with bridging the camaraderie gap and the social gap. And then it's honestly just recently that I really started getting involved more with the associations, the boards, things like that locally. At the time, real estate wasn't trendy to get into because the market was crashing. It was the worst time in real estate. So I was much younger than anybody else in my office or really in the industry that I knew at the time. When I got my broker's license, I had just turned 21. I was 21. Wow. There's a good chance I was probably the youngest broker in the state for a while just because you had to either have a degree in finance or economics or have five years sales person's experience at the time. And since I was younger than everybody in school and I graduated and got my broker's license right away, they changed it a few months later to require the five years experience. But at the time, they didn't have that in place. I was wondering. I think here it's three years of experience. I don't know if we have that finance loophole. There's no loophole anymore. But there was. This is in 2009, so a long time ago. So when you were bringing agents on or when you had a couple of agents, were they just selling independently or were they designated to help you in certain ways like having a showing agent or something like that, listing specialist? I did have one showing agent. The others worked independently. Okay. Yeah. And how's your, you said sales team earlier. How's that structured now? So my sales team has grown a lot. So one year ago, I made the switch from operating my business as an independent to coming on with Real Brokerage as a part of their white label program. So under their white label program, I've been able to grow quite a bit. We have an agent locally that is a huge attractor. And but he doesn't quite have the capacity to give training and things like that to agents. So I started doing monthly masterminds for agents with my lending partners where I kind of take a look at all the different ways that agents generate business, whether we're talking about social interactions, you know, their kids, the parents at their kids schools, whether we're talking about online marketing, purchasing leads, converting leads, whether we're talking about social media, being an influencer, direct mailing, farming, all of these different kind of tried and true, so to speak, ways. We kind of rotate and dive into each of those things on a monthly basis. Usually the trainings are about two to three hours long. And it has grown my team from four of us to nine of us in the past four months. Wow. Now, again, is that structured kind of like you were before? Do you have any designated people helping you directly? Are they all just kind of independent agents that are there to help or to be mentored by you, et cetera, and work together as a team? So we work together as a team. So I help not as much on like the paid lead side, but like I go on listing appointments with my agents and secure the transaction for us.

I've been in this business for so long. I understand the ins and outs and how to problem solve on the spot. There's not much that somebody could throw at me that I wouldn't be able to take a second and give them good guidance on. Not to say that I'm perfect. It's just when you've been in the business almost 16 years and you've been on as many inspections and things like that, you retain it. And I honestly, I live by the mindset that there's always something new to learn with every transaction, with every interaction that we have with people. So I kind of utilize that. Yeah. Cool. Yeah, it definitely helps. And things don't phase you quite as much as they may have in the beginning. A hundred percent. When a problem comes up or whatever, like each time. I kind of remember the first year that really my business really took off, skyrocketed. It also came with a lot of problems. And there was one time where I was just like down. I was just like, you know, kind of overwhelmed and just like, oh my gosh. So many problems, so many issues. And, you know, a good friend of mine kind of took me aside and was trying to give me like a pep talk and all that kind of stuff. But another friend was telling me, you know, whenever this kind of stuff happens, like it's just, you know, once you get past it, like you feel unfazed, like you're going to be unflappable. You're not going to be able to be bothered by little things anymore because you just got through this like really tedious time. But on top of that, the next time something like that happens, it's not as big of a deal. And so like looking back at the things that like phase you at the beginning versus now, just it's kind of, it's almost funny. But you can share that with your team as well if they're not quite as experienced as you. You know what, I tell my team this all the time and I can't say it enough is not only do we teach other people how to treat us, but we also set expectations for our clients, for our team members, for any interactions that we have. And so I feel like as an agent, more than anything else, that is our number one role is setting expectations. Because it's when those expectations are not met that people start getting frantic and they start making emotional choices. And so if you can just stay ahead of that and provide communication, then the problems stop popping up. 100%. There is somebody on here, I think he was an investor actually, but he was talking about how kind of everything boils down to setting clear expectations and communicating effectively. And if you can do those two things, even with your kids, with your family, it's just like, you know, you're a little kid and they're in the middle of a TV show or middle of playing in the park and all of a sudden you're like, we're going, we're leaving, bye. And just rip them out of that. They're going to be pissed. They're going to be very mad. But if you set the expectations that A, you're going to be here for this long and then kind of check in with them, communicate that, you know, 15 minutes, 10 minutes, five minutes, one minute, whatever, and we're going to leave, then that whole process goes a lot more smoothly. And that's the same for, you know, clients. Like if you are proactively communicating throughout the process and, you know, setting the expectations that they're going to get that email, that call, that whatever at this time, they're not going to be anxious. They feel that they're covered. And yeah, so I agree. Agents are the same way though. And I think that's one reason why I've been successful in stepping from, because in a lot of ways I run my team and my downline with Real in the same way that I ran the brokerage. Setting expectations with your agents. I think, you know, let's talk about marketing for example. People think that they're going to send one postcard and suddenly the phone is going to start ringing and everyone is going to be offering them their house to sell. Right.

That's just not how it works. It's stacking those good behaviors every single day to get closer and closer to your goal. And so it's about building that consistency. And so part of my job as a team lead is setting that expectation from the beginning. Okay, you want to start a farm. That's amazing. Let's go ahead and determine the farm. But to be clear, you should not expect anything to turn from this farm for at least the next three to six months. Don't start Google marketing and think that all of a sudden your phone is going to ring off the hook. No, you're going to have to build up that SEO credibility. You're looking at at least six months before you're really starting to get things, the algorithms and everything, getting to know who you are. And so I think that's where a lot of miscommunication goes into it. I think a lot of people are afraid of the truth or they're afraid of rejection if they give somebody the whole truth. And so it's kind of just it goes back to setting those expectations from the beginning. Yeah, that consistency too is huge. I have a house under contract that I've been mailing postcards to that community as a farm for two years, I think. And this is the first actual deal to come from two years. Yeah. And now the result of this sale is great for everything that I've been saying that I'm doing. I did in this deal and we got an amazing above asking price offers that I can now market to that community and just hopefully that will continue to snowball the results from that marketing that I've been doing. But that's hard for people. I mean, that's a lot of money. You know, it's hard to see the forest for the trees. Like if you're spending a lot of money on Google ads, you're spending a lot of money on postcards and nothing's actually come from it. You just feel like, you know, what's the point after a couple months you just spent. So in some ways it's easier to sign a contract or to just send the money to an agency that says, I'm going to commit to this for a year and I'm going to put it up front and it's done. And because you're going to just be spending money pointlessly otherwise, probably. Well, and honestly, I think the same thing goes when you're starting a team as well is people think this is going to be great. I am going to start a team. I'm going to check in with my team and they're going to go off and then I'm going to get a piece of the commission and it's going to be great. Right. Well, starting a team is a huge time investment and time is money. And, you know, I feel like so much of this business is kind of like a chess game and understanding where you move your time and money. And oftentimes I use those synonymously because, you know, we need both. Yeah. Succeed. Yeah, totally. Tell us a little bit about the software now. We were talking a little bit beforehand and how the software you're creating is all about automation and kind of freeing up people's time. So then I'm definitely super interested in. So tell us about what your software does. Well, so something that I have learned in mentoring agents and running the brokerage and going to conferences and meeting people from across the country. Realtors are social beings. Yeah. They are great at meeting people. They're great at forming relationships. They're not good at the back end stuff, but not everyone can afford an assistant. And a lot of people don't have the skill set to really articulate what it is that they're how their process goes, how it's laid out. And the reason is, is they don't have a standard operating procedure for how they transact. They kind of do it on the fly. Yeah. And say, well, every transaction is so unique. But is it because we have the same deadlines? You have the same paperwork that's needed. Hopefully you're getting the same level of customer service to each of your clients. So one thing that I really love about our software, like straight out of the gate from the time that we onboard you is there's several different modules that you go through.

And really what these modules are aimed to do is to build out those SOPs for your listing and buying process from deadlines to communications, to marketing, to gifting. Even we are one of our things is we're really big on building out integrations for all of the different tools and everything that you're using. If you're using something with an open API, our dev teams will actually build a custom integration with that company. We have a priority list based on request, but that's something that we're doing to constantly make our software work better with the tools and everything that agents are already using. We're not trying to... So many of those. Exactly. There is, there is. So for example, we're just finishing a two-way integration with Fellow, which is a home valuation software. And the reason why we're building out a two-way integration with them is they have some really great data enhancement tools where you can look up phone numbers and email addresses and things like that. And it's no, it's not helpful if you get a data enrichment in another software program and then it doesn't update clients in your database. Right. And so we want to make sure that we're working smarter and not harder. So things like that. So we have the transaction management process that is automated as far as deadlines and communications go. We also have an app with DocuSign and a client portal with Dropbox that kind of organizes all of the paperwork for each client as it's completed. And then as far as like the marketing goes, we have some postcard automations set up. We have from the time that people come into the database and that first call is made to them for like your online marketing leads, that call is actually transcribed and sent through chat GPT to determine what type of client it is. Is it a buyer? Is it a seller? Did you set up an appointment on the call? Because if you did, it's going to set the calendar appointment in your system. Nice. If you collect that email address from them over the phone, it's going to save that email address for them in the system so that when you're driving between appointments or at your kid's soccer game and you're taking a call and you don't have a pen and paper and you're like, oh, could you please text me your contact? Yep. You don't have to do that anymore. Just utilizing the smart number in the system will help you collect all that information and make sure that it's setting things off appropriately. So when different types of appointments are made, different types of communications are going to go out as far as reminders or even email communication, preparing them for an inspection. One of my favorite things is once the inspection is complete, the inspection appointment, it's going to send a text to your client saying the inspection is complete. Use the link below to schedule a review of the inspection documents with your agent. And it sends them the next calendar link. So that way you already have your next appointment being booked with your clients to follow up without you having to sit around and wait for it. Nice. So is this a CRM or a plugin to anybody's CRM? It's a CRM. Okay, cool. Although it can sync with other CRMs, it doesn't make sense. Right, you're doubling up. Yeah, cool. Yeah, I like that. It's, there's a lot that, a lot of time people can spend in that, in those rabbit holes of like automating and stuff. And so it is nice when somebody is already creating those for you and kind of setting up a system that they can follow. So that's really cool. Yeah, we, like throughout the onboarding process, they actually order the communications and everything like that. You can actually change the emails that are going to go out. So you get full privileges over that. You can add emails to sequences. And then our software will automatically build those workflows in there for you. Yeah, that's awesome. So I imagine then you would have kind of like a work phone

number that would be integrated with a CRM that then have those automated texts coming from and that you would have like those phone calls, the recording, et cetera, happening through. Yeah, yeah. And so one of the things that I've found in CRM searches and stuff is there seems to be a lot of separation. Like people like prefer maybe to have their personal stuff and their like work stuff separate. And I've kind of always operated off of like, it's all one for me. You know, like all my contacts are just kind of my sphere. So one of the things that I've had to do with some of the CRMs I've worked with is then kind of sync my contacts. And that has to be like through a Zapier or something like that. But that's been one little thing. But I do like the fact that you can have, you could build out, especially if you're doing, I could imagine if you're doing like online lead generation, which is not something I've done much of, that you might feel bombarded with a bunch of people you don't know well. And so like having that separation could be nice until maybe you get them into like that, you know, they're actually an active client. And then, you know, you might use your own phone as well. But yeah, I could see why there's a lot of people that their CRM wants to be very separate from their personal life. I see that. But honestly, I feel like it's a lot misguided. And the reason for that is like those people, those friends and family members are some of your biggest supporters. Oh, absolutely. And sometimes they need reminding that you're an expert in the field that you're in. You're not just the default because you're family. You're default because you're the smartest person they know about real estate. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. And you want them to be shouting your name from the hilltops anytime they hear anybody breathing about moving. Exactly. So for me, like identifying the client type, and we have a lot of automation set up like this, where it's like when you add a lead source, we add it into the workflow, and we say, okay, leads coming from this lead source. What are they? Are they buyers? Are they sellers? Are they so like, for example, we use Google Forms. And so I know that when somebody fills out the buyer Google Form, that they are a buyer. Yeah. And so I think it's just making sure that you're appropriately labeling your contacts. And so, you know, you asked me the question earlier, like, what do you do to stir the pot? Yeah. Well, again, as a part of the onboarding process, and it's available like in our learning center as well as we talk about how to use tags, we talk about how to use the client type, we talk about how to create new opportunities to keep the end filters to be able to find the people that you've communicated with most recently, the newest leads, the how to put them in groups where you know that this is like a warm nurture, like you know that they're going to transact in the next six to 12 months, and they should be on your like bi weekly call list. Right, right. You know. So those are kind of the things that I specify and we use automation to automatically add certain tags when they hit different milestones, so to speak, or have reached out in a certain way. We can automate removal of tags or addition of tags. So that way, we're making sure that our data is constantly staying up to date as well. Yeah, yeah, that's, it's always embarrassing. If, like I have, I have a lender that sends me a happy birthday message every year on the wrong date. And that's why, like, you know, this stuff is great if you have good data, and that's why it's so important to like you have to really work your data, your sphere to make sure that you're getting, you know, you're not doing something like that. Exactly. Yeah. That's cool. What other ways have you used AI to integrate with this system? To integrate into the system. The phone is probably the most impressive right now. The

other ways that we're using it is going to be in reading the transaction documents that part isn't going to be ready for probably the next six months. But we are working on actually being able to extract fields from like the purchase contract and whatnot to update fields in our different transaction files. That's cool. We also use it for, we do have AI like assistance that can help with texting back and things like that when calls come in. It's a last minute, it's like a last ditch effort kind of thing for us to use the AI agents. I prefer human voice. So most of my smart numbers bring to multiple people on my team. Okay. What other ways are we using? I have a market analysis. So I know the smart number thing that you just said to me really quickly, like, so that would, everybody's phone would ring or would it go to like different people at different times? If somebody doesn't answer, then it goes to the next person. I can set it up either way, actually. So that would be round robin. It was going to go around the circle. Um, usually it just rings to everybody all at the same time. So the first person that picks it up, that's my preference because then you don't have somebody sitting on the phone thinking that nobody's going to pick up the phone. Two minutes. Yeah, that makes sense. That's cool. Yeah, that makes sense. And obviously having somebody answer is the best option. Yeah. That's the number that I use on every single marketing piece. If you look on Google, it's going to be my smart number. If you look on anything, um, being a woman in this industry, I stopped putting my phone number out there a little while ago. Sure. Um, and that's been helpful. Yeah, no, that's, that's great. And that's one of the beauties too, of, of having something, uh, a number in a CRM that's not, you know, your personal number. Um, sorry, then I interrupted you about, you were saying something else. Um, I can't remember what it was now. Um, oh, we also use AI for a market analysis each month. So, um, I used a prompt that uses data from like, what's going on with the fed and news and whatnot to, um, help give insight as to the factors that are affecting our local marketplace currently. Oh, that's cool. Yeah. I think, I think, uh, anybody listening to this, that isn't using AI much. Um, I think it's just really important to start, uh, just, I heard somebody say, put a sticky note on your desk that says, how can I have AI do this? Um, or how can I use AI? And, and it's just really about figuring it out. Like if you haven't, you don't even have to figure it out. Ask, ask chat GPT why you're using it. The point is that you have to actually like use it. Like you have to be, uh, constantly trying to engage it because if you're not, then you may not think, oh, oh, this could be done by a chat GPT. Cause like, once you start, you know, using it for more and more things, it just becomes like obvious, like, oh yeah, that's something I'm definitely going to have chat GPT do. Um, my personal favorite right now, uh, this is really small, but one thing that's been pretty impactful is, you know, I have a Mac and Apple intelligence is kind of built in or whatever. Um, what I did was I, uh, made keyboard shortcuts for a proofreading and for a rewriting so that wherever I'm in, in my Mac, um, if I'm writing something, I can just kind of word vomit and just like get something out there that's not that clear, but it has the key points in it and then boom rewrite. And it's perfect. And that can be in a text message or that can be in an email. My email has built an AI too, but, but yeah, it's, that's been, that's been really nice, uh, to just kind of be more effective of a communicator. Cause I think, you know, often through when you're not on the phone, I mean, the way you communicate is very, very key. Absolutely. I, um, one thing that I did for my team is I built a custom Jack, uh, GPT for role playing with them, which is so easy to do.

Honestly, it's not rocket science, but, um, the thing I like about it is I built in like randomized questions for it. Um, and the reason why I love utilizing this tool. And so like on my agent's weekly check-in sheet, one of the questions is how many times did you use the chat GPT module this week? And the point is, is they'll come up with a scenario, they present it and you need to respond. And then it's going to give you advice on like what you did well, where you can improve and what the perfect answer would be. That's cool. And, um, I pro I trained it using Tom Ferry and Phil Jones language. Okay. Um, yeah, that's awesome. And it goes really, really nice. And so, and I really, you could do like the voice to text for it, or even just do the voice role play with it. But honestly, I prefer people doing the written version because I find that when you sit down and write and you're really thinking about it, your brain makes deeper lasting changes than if you're just to talk, you start thinking about the cadence and how you want to put these different words together, um, in a more thoughtful way that I feel like can stick and become more of a script. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. That's awesome. Um, I do have some, I have some questions about like, uh, if you have any golden nuggets for real estate agents, uh, that maybe are getting started or, um, have been at it for a while. I mean, is there anything that comes to mind that you'd want to share? Ask for the business, start with your sphere and ask for the business. Don't be shy to say, do you know anyone that's thinking of buying or selling this year? Okay. I love it. And is that, would you recommend going by calling, uh, emails? What, what's the best route for, for doing that? Um, I think for newer agents also honestly being like face to face with people, like throughout your day to day life, that's going to be your best bet. Um, I don't think newer agents have the skills on the phone to fully convert. I think that's a skill that's acquired over time, which is absolutely something you should work on, but do a month of my chat GPT bot first and then go and talk on the phone. Um, cool. Ask for it, like get involved with the community and ask for it. Yeah, no, that's great. I love it. Um, what about any books that you'd recommend? Do you have any favorite books that are fundamental for everybody to read or ones that you're currently enjoying? Yeah, I, I am a serial reader, so I am constantly picking up new tips and tricks. I think pertaining to this conversation, um, Dan Martell's book, buy back your time. Um, that really focuses on making sure that the activities that you're putting the most time into activities that only you can do. So in real estate, that's making the sales. You should be in phase showing homes. You should not be organizing your paperwork and spending hours on doing that when you could be out going and finding your next transaction. Yeah, no, that's awesome. Um, and, and like you were saying, like, you know, with your CRM, um, there's some of those automations, like if, if you're doing it yourself, it takes a lot of time. And that might be, again, where you can buy back your time by having somebody else do it by using your software. Um, but yeah, what a great way to free up, um, bandwidth too, is to automate a lot of the things that are just kind of repetitive. Yeah, absolutely. I'll, um, I'll send you my link tree to put in the description that has information on both my software, but it also has, um, access to our chat GPT module. So if anybody wants to give it a shot and try and sharpen their skills, um, it's there for you to use. Oh, that's awesome. Thank you. And that was going to be my next question is, is what's the best way to reach out to you or find more information about this stuff? Yeah, absolutely. Um, use that link. It's got all of my contact information, my social handles, um, and information on our, on our software.

Cool. Awesome. Well, I really appreciate your time. This has been a fun conversation. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks so much for having me.

[marketingsmallbuseniss]

How I Went From Chaos to $50K+ Revenue Using One Simple System

The Small Business Owner's Guide to Actually Making Money

Originally posted because I'm tired of seeing fellow entrepreneurs struggle with the same problems I had

The Real Talk About Running a Small Business 💯

Y'all, let me be honest about something that nobody talks about in those "hustle culture" posts: most small businesses fail not because they don't work hard enough, but because they're completely disorganized with their customers.

I was that person. Sticky notes everywhere, spreadsheets that crashed at the worst moments, forgetting to call back potential customers who were literally ready to pay me money.

Sound familiar?

The System That Changed Everything 🔄

Three months ago, I discovered something called CRM software (Customer Relationship Management - fancy words for "keeping track of your customers like a normal human being").

The results were insane:

47% increase in revenue

Never missed another follow-up

Actually looked professional when customers called

Stopped losing sleep over forgotten leads

Want the complete breakdown? Check out my full guide: https://smallbusines1.blogspot.com/2025/06/crm-for-small-business.html

What Even IS a CRM? (Simple Version) 🤔

Think of it as your business's brain for remembering customers:

Stores all contact info in one place

Tracks every conversation you've had

Reminds you when to follow up

Shows you which marketing actually works

Makes you look like you have your shit together

It's basically having a personal assistant who never forgets anything.

The 5 Features That Actually Matter ✨

After testing like 15 different systems, here's what actually moves the needle:

Contact Management - Digital address book on steroids

Sales Pipeline - Visual way to see where each deal stands

Follow-up Reminders - Never ghost a potential customer again

Email Integration - Automatically saves conversations

Basic Reports - See what's working and what's not

That's it. Don't let anyone sell you more complicated stuff when you're starting out.

Real Numbers (Because Receipts Matter) 💰

Before CRM:

Lost 23% of potential sales to poor follow-up

Spent 2.5 hours daily searching for customer info

Looked unprofessional AF when people called

Stressed constantly about missed opportunities

After CRM:

$8,400 additional monthly revenue

12.5 hours/week saved on admin stuff

Customer retention improved from 68% to 84%

Actually sleep well at night

Total investment: $450/month Total return: 1,867% ROI in first quarter

Need help choosing the right system? My detailed comparison guide covers all the top options: https://smallbusines1.blogspot.com/2025/06/crm-for-small-business.html

The Mistakes That'll Kill Your Success ⚠️

Don't do what I did at first:

❌ Choosing based on features instead of needs ❌ Importing messy data without cleaning it up ❌ Not training yourself properly ❌ Expecting magic results in week 1 ❌ Getting overwhelmed by all the options

Do this instead:

✅ Start simple and upgrade later ✅ Clean your data before importing ✅ Commit to using it daily for 90 days ✅ Pick one that integrates with your current tools ✅ Focus on consistency over perfection

My Top Picks for 2025 🏆

For Beginners: HubSpot (has a genuinely free plan) For Sales Focus: Pipedrive (best visual pipeline) For Budget: Zoho CRM (cheap but powerful) For Service Biz: Freshsales (great customer support features) For Creatives: Monday.com (project tracking + CRM)

Industry-Specific Tips 🎯

E-commerce Peeps: Focus on inventory integration Service Providers: Emphasize appointment scheduling B2B Sales: Prioritize lead scoring features Consultants: Simple contact management is key Agencies: Look for project management integration

The Implementation That Actually Works 📋

Week 1-2: Research and pick your system Week 3-4: Clean up your existing customer data Week 5-6: Import everything and set up basics Week 7-8: Train yourself and any team members Week 9-12: Daily use and optimization

Pro tip: Don't try to set up everything perfectly from day one. Start with basics and add complexity as you get comfortable.

Why Most People Fail (And How to Not Be Them) 🚫

The #1 reason CRM implementations fail? People try to boil the ocean instead of starting small.

Successful approach:

Pick ONE system

Import your top 50 customers first

Use it for basic contact management only

Add features gradually as you master basics

Commit to 90 days minimum

Ready to dive deeper? Get my step-by-step implementation guide: https://smallbusines1.blogspot.com/2025/06/crm-for-small-business.html

The Future is Mobile-First 📱

2025 trends to watch:

AI that predicts which leads will convert

Voice-activated CRM updates

Better mobile apps for on-the-go updates

Industry-specific templates

More affordable pricing for small businesses

Real Talk: Is This Worth It? 🤷‍♀️

Short answer: Hell yes, if you have more than 20 customers.

Long answer: A CRM isn't magic, but it's the foundation that lets you scale without everything falling apart. It's the difference between running a business and being run by your business.

Your Next Steps (If You're Ready) 👇

Pick a CRM from my recommended list

Clean up your current customer data

Import your top 20-50 customers

Set up basic follow-up reminders

Use it daily for the next 30 days

The businesses that grow consistently aren't the ones with the best products - they're the ones with the best systems.

Want More Small Business Real Talk?

Follow for more posts about:

Marketing that actually works (not just looks pretty)

Tools that pay for themselves

Systems that scale without burning you out

Real numbers and honest reviews

Get the complete CRM selection guide with pricing, comparisons, and implementation checklists: https://smallbusines1.blogspot.com/2025/06/crm-for-small-business.html

[andmineworlddigitalmarketing]

Beyond Likes and Shares: Measuring the Real Impact of Your Digital Marketing Efforts

In the whirlwind of social media updates and website traffic reports, it’s easy to get caught up in vanity metrics. Likes, shares, and followers can feel like a direct reflection of your digital marketing success. But are they truly telling the whole story? If you’re serious about maximizing your ROI(Return on Investment), it’s time to look beyond the surface and delve into the metrics that truly matter.

The Problem with Vanity Metrics

Vanity metrics, while visually appealing, often lack context. A high number of likes on a post doesn’t necessarily translate to increased sales or brand loyalty. Similarly, a surge in website traffic might be driven by bots or irrelevant visitors. To truly understand the impact of your digital marketing efforts, you need to focus on metrics that align with your business goals.

Key Metrics That Matter

Instead of relying solely on likes and shares, consider tracking these crucial metrics:

Conversion Rate: This metric measures the percentage of visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or filling out a contact form. A high conversion rate indicates that your marketing efforts are effectively driving results.   

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): CAC calculates the total cost of acquiring a new customer through your marketing campaigns. By tracking CAC, you can determine the efficiency of your marketing spend and identify areas for optimization.

Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV): CLTV estimates the total revenue a customer will generate throughout their relationship with your business. By understanding CLTV, you can prioritize customer retention and invest in strategies that foster long-term loyalty.

Website Traffic Quality: Instead of focusing solely on the quantity of website traffic, pay attention to the quality. Analyze metrics such as bounce rate, time on page, and pages per session to understand how visitors are engaging with your content.

Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): For paid advertising campaigns, ROAS measures the revenue generated for every dollar spent. This metric helps you assess the profitability of your ad campaigns and make data-driven decisions.

Lead Generation: How many qualified leads are you generating? Track form submissions, downloads, and other lead-generating actions.

Search Engine Rankings: Where does your website rank for relevant keywords? Tracking your search engine rankings can provide valuable insights into your SEO performance.

Tools and Strategies for Tracking Key Metrics

To effectively track these metrics, you’ll need to utilize the right tools and strategies:

Google Analytics: This powerful tool provides comprehensive insights into website traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates.

Social Media Analytics Platforms: Each social media platform offers its own analytics tools, providing data on engagement, reach, and audience demographics.

CRM Systems: Customer relationship management (CRM) systems help you track customer interactions, manage leads, and measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.

Marketing Automation Software: These tools automate marketing tasks, such as email marketing and social media posting, and provide detailed analytics on campaign performance.

Making Data-Driven Decisions

By focusing on the metrics that matter, you can make informed decisions about your digital marketing strategy. Analyze your data regularly, identify trends, and adjust your approach accordingly. Remember, digital marketing is an ongoing process of optimization and improvement.

Conclusion

Don’t let vanity metrics distract you from your true goals. Focus on measuring the real impact of your digital marketing efforts, and you’ll be well on your way to achieving sustainable growth and success.

[sierraconsult]

Monday.com allows businesses to create CRM solutions that enhance customer relationships and sales processes. Its user-friendly, customizable interface encourages seamless teamwork. Choosing Monday.com ensures a CRM that meets your business’s exact requirements.

[servicestech]

What Makes a Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner the Right Choice for Your Organization?

Salesforce is a powerful platform that can transform the way businesses manage customer relationships, automate processes, and improve efficiency. However, to unlock the full potential of Salesforce, it is essential to work with an experienced consultant who understands your unique business needs. A Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner offers a wealth of expertise and proven capabilities to help you maximize the benefits of Salesforce, ensuring that your organization achieves its CRM goals. In this article, we explore the advantages of working with a Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner and how they can help your business succeed.

What is a Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner?

A Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner is a consulting firm recognized by Salesforce for its deep expertise, successful project delivery, and commitment to customer success. Achieving Platinum status is no small feat, as it requires meeting stringent criteria, such as a proven track record of high-quality Salesforce implementations and expert-level certifications. Salesforce Platinum Partners typically have experience across various industries and provide services that range from system implementation to custom application development, cloud solutions, and ongoing support.

The primary difference between a Platinum Partner and other Salesforce consultants lies in their level of experience and ability to handle complex, large-scale Salesforce implementations. Platinum Partners have access to advanced Salesforce resources, including tools, training, and specialized expertise that can accelerate your Salesforce journey.

Benefits of Working with a Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner

1. Expertise in Salesforce Solutions

A Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner brings deep knowledge and experience to the table. They are certified experts in Salesforce products, which allows them to provide highly effective, customized solutions to fit your organization’s needs. Whether you are using Salesforce Sales Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud, or another Salesforce product, a Platinum Partner ensures that you are leveraging the platform to its full potential.

These consultants can help optimize your CRM processes, streamline sales and marketing activities, and create tailored dashboards and reports that provide valuable insights into your business performance. Their expertise in Salesforce solutions ensures that your implementation is both efficient and impactful.

2. Customized Salesforce Implementation

Every business is unique, and your Salesforce solution should reflect that. A Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner works closely with your team to understand your business objectives, challenges, and workflows. They then design a customized Salesforce solution that aligns with your needs, ensuring that the implementation supports your organization’s specific goals.

By tailoring Salesforce to your processes, a Platinum Partner can help improve productivity, enhance collaboration, and create a seamless experience for your team. Customized solutions also provide greater flexibility and scalability, allowing your CRM system to evolve as your business grows.

3. Faster Implementation and Time-to-Value

Time is of the essence when implementing Salesforce, and Platinum Partners have the experience and resources to deliver faster results. With their structured approach, proven methodology, and access to Salesforce’s exclusive tools, Platinum Partners can help you implement Salesforce in a shorter timeframe. This faster implementation allows your organization to start realizing the benefits of the CRM system much sooner.

Moreover, Platinum Partners have a clear understanding of the common pitfalls in Salesforce implementations and can proactively address any issues that may arise. Their deep experience helps reduce the risks associated with deployment, ensuring a smoother transition to your new CRM system.

4. Ongoing Support and Optimization

The work doesn’t stop once Salesforce is implemented. Ongoing support and optimization are critical to ensuring your Salesforce system continues to meet your evolving business needs. A Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner offers continuous support, including system updates, troubleshooting, and optimization services, to ensure your CRM solution remains effective over time.

Platinum Partners also provide training and guidance to help your team get the most out of Salesforce, empowering users to fully utilize the platform’s features. Whether you need assistance with system updates, new feature integrations, or additional customization, Platinum Partners are there to help.

5. Advanced Tools and Resources

Salesforce Platinum Partners have access to advanced tools and resources that can enhance the implementation process. These resources include early access to new features, training programs, and support from Salesforce’s internal teams. By leveraging these tools, Platinum Partners can implement the latest Salesforce innovations more quickly, helping you stay ahead of the competition.

Additionally, Platinum Partners often participate in beta programs, allowing them to test new Salesforce products and features before they are officially released. This gives them a competitive edge when it comes to providing cutting-edge solutions to their clients.

6. Seamless Integration with Other Systems

In today’s business environment, your CRM system doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Salesforce is often integrated with other enterprise systems, such as ERP, HR, and accounting software, to create a unified platform that supports all aspects of your business. A Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner has the expertise to ensure that your Salesforce system integrates seamlessly with these other tools, eliminating data silos and ensuring smooth information flow across your organization.

This integration enhances data accuracy, reduces manual processes, and improves decision-making. Platinum Partners can also help you optimize workflows and automate processes, further increasing operational efficiency.

7. Scalability for Growth

As your business grows, your CRM system needs to scale with you. A Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner designs solutions that are flexible and scalable, ensuring your Salesforce system can accommodate new users, additional data, and new features as your business expands. They plan for future growth by implementing best practices and architecture that allows your Salesforce system to evolve alongside your business.

Whether you’re adding new departments, expanding to new markets, or introducing new products or services, a Platinum Partner ensures that your Salesforce solution can handle the increased demands.

TechMatrix Consulting: A Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner

TechMatrix Consulting is a Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner that specializes in providing customized Salesforce solutions to organizations across various industries. With expertise in Salesforce implementation, cloud strategies, app development, and marketing automation, TechMatrix helps businesses maximize the potential of their Salesforce CRM.

TechMatrix offers tailored solutions for industries such as healthcare, retail, finance, and manufacturing. Their team of certified Salesforce professionals works closely with clients to understand their unique needs and deliver solutions that optimize business processes, improve customer engagement, and drive growth.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the difference between a Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner and other Salesforce consultants? A Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner is a firm recognized by Salesforce for its advanced expertise, proven success, and ability to handle complex, large-scale implementations. Platinum Partners have access to exclusive resources, tools, and training to ensure a high-quality Salesforce deployment.

How do I know if I need a Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner? If your business is implementing Salesforce on a large scale or requires highly customized solutions, a Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner is the best choice. They provide the expertise and support necessary for a smooth, efficient implementation that aligns with your business goals.

What industries do Salesforce Platinum Partners serve? Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partners serve a wide range of industries, including healthcare, finance, retail, manufacturing, and more. They offer tailored solutions that address the unique needs of each sector.

What ongoing support do I receive after implementing Salesforce? A Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner provides ongoing support, including regular system updates, troubleshooting, optimization, and training. They help ensure that your Salesforce solution evolves with your business needs.

Can a Salesforce Platinum Partner integrate Salesforce with other business systems? Yes, Salesforce Platinum Partners specialize in integrating Salesforce with other enterprise systems such as ERP, HR, and accounting software. This ensures that your business operations work seamlessly together and enhances data accuracy.

Conclusion

Working with a Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner provides your organization with the expertise, resources, and support necessary to fully leverage Salesforce’s capabilities. From customized implementations to ongoing optimization and support, a Platinum Partner ensures that your CRM system drives business success. Whether you are just getting started with Salesforce or looking to optimize your existing implementation, a Platinum partner like TechMatrix Consulting can help you achieve your goals.

[learning--tech]

Empower Your Business with DDS4U's Comprehensive Services

At DDS4U, we provide a suite of services designed to streamline your operations, drive growth, and ensure your business stays ahead in today’s competitive market.

AI-Powered Business Automation

Revolutionize your workflows with our AI-driven automation platform. By automating repetitive tasks and integrating advanced AI technologies, we help you save time, reduce costs, and improve accuracy, allowing you to focus on strategic initiatives.

Custom Software Development

Our experienced software developers create tailored solutions that meet your unique business needs. Whether you require a new application or need to upgrade existing systems, our innovative and scalable software solutions ensure your business operates efficiently and effectively.

CRM Solutions

Enhance your customer relationships with our comprehensive CRM platform. Manage customer interactions, streamline sales processes, and gain valuable insights to drive better business decisions. Our CRM system is designed to boost customer satisfaction and loyalty, ultimately leading to increased sales and growth.

Targeted Advertisement Platform

Maximize your reach and engagement with our cutting-edge advertising platform. Tailor your campaigns to specific audiences and utilize real-time analytics to optimize performance. Our platform helps you achieve higher conversion rates and a stronger online presence.

In-App Advertisement Space

Monetize your mobile applications with designated ad spaces. Our in-app advertising feature allows you to serve targeted ads to users, providing an additional revenue stream while ensuring ads are relevant and non-intrusive.

Referral Portal

Expand your network and drive business growth with our referral portal. Easily manage and track referrals, incentivize partners, and streamline communication. Our portal fosters strong professional relationships and opens new opportunities for your business.

Business Networking Platform

Connect with industry professionals and collaborate on projects through our dynamic networking platform. Share knowledge, explore partnerships, and expand your reach in a supportive community designed to foster business success.

Social Media Poster Design

Boost your social media presence with professionally designed posters. Our team creates visually appealing graphics tailored for social media platforms, helping you engage with your audience and enhance your brand’s online visibility.

Discount Booklets

Offer your customers exclusive discounts through our customizable discount booklets. This feature helps increase customer loyalty and encourages repeat business, driving higher sales and customer satisfaction.

Self-Managed Advertisements

Take control of your advertising campaigns with our self-managed ad platform. Create, monitor, and optimize your ads independently, giving you the flexibility to adjust strategies and maximize ROI.

Video Promotions

Enhance your marketing efforts with engaging promotional videos. Showcase your products and services, highlight unique selling points, and captivate your audience with compelling visual content that drives brand awareness and customer engagement.

At DDS4U, we are committed to helping your business succeed. Our comprehensive services are designed to address your unique challenges and support your growth ambitions. Partner with us to unlock new opportunities and achieve your business goals.

[starksmarketingllc]

Automating Your Email Campaigns: Streamlining Your Marketing Workflow

Email marketing is a powerful tool for businesses to connect with their audience and drive engagement. However, managing email campaigns manually can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. Enter email automation—the process of automating repetitive tasks in your email marketing workflow. In this article, we will explore the benefits of automating your email campaigns and how they can…

[agolaaa]

2025 Digital Marketing Trends: What You Should Really Pay Attention To

If you’ve been paying even a little attention to digital marketing lately, you’ll know things are moving faster than ever. Platforms change, algorithms shift, and customer behavior keeps evolving. What worked last year might not work today—and what’s working today might be gone by next quarter.

It can feel a bit overwhelming, sure. But here’s the good news: if you stay curious and pay attention to the right trends, there’s huge opportunity to stand out. Whether you're already in the field or just starting your journey through the best digital marketing training institute in Calicut, understanding the pulse of 2025 gives you a major edge.

1. Welcome to the Age of Real-Time Experiences

Marketing is no longer just about putting content out there and hoping people see it. In 2025, it’s about responding while it’s happening—right in the moment.

Think live streams, interactive polls, flash deals during events, or even AI-powered chat assistants that talk to customers at midnight. Real-time engagement is now a core part of strategy, especially in e-commerce and service-based industries.

2. Storytelling > Hard Selling

Let’s be honest: people don’t like being sold to. At least, not directly. What they do love is a good story.

Brands that can wrap their message into a narrative—about a mission, a journey, a personal experience—are finding it much easier to connect with audiences. It’s not about pushing a product. It’s about pulling people in with emotion, relevance, and relatability.

3. AI Is Helping, But Human Creativity Still Wins

Everyone’s talking about artificial intelligence, and yes, it’s a big deal. It helps with automating repetitive tasks, generating ideas, and even scheduling campaigns. But here’s the kicker—it doesn’t replace creative thinking.

In fact, the best marketers right now are the ones who use AI as a tool, not a crutch. They let it handle the backend, while they focus on crafting bold ideas, unique angles, and messages that sound like they came from a real person.

4. The Death of the Third-Party Cookie is Real

Browser cookies—those tiny data files that track your every move online—are fading out. Privacy laws and consumer pushback have forced platforms to rethink how data is collected.

As a result, marketers are shifting focus to first-party data—info gathered directly from your audience via sign-ups, feedback forms, or gated content. This makes email marketing and CRM systems more important than ever.

5. Search Isn’t Just Google Anymore

Search engine optimization (SEO) isn’t just about ranking on Google. People are now “searching” on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, and even LinkedIn.

Each platform has its own rules and algorithms. That means your content has to be optimized for where your audience hangs out, not just for traditional search engines. Understanding platform-specific search behaviors is a critical new skill.

6. Digital Marketing Is Becoming More Localized

While the internet connects the world, customers still care about what’s happening in their area. Hyperlocal marketing is on the rise, using geotargeting, local SEO, and community-focused campaigns.

If you're promoting a business or service, tailoring your strategy to a specific city, language, or even neighborhood can drastically improve engagement.

And yes, that includes people looking for the best digital marketing training institute in Calicut—they’re searching locally too.

7. Email Is Making a Comeback—With a Twist

It might surprise some, but email marketing is still one of the highest ROI channels around. The difference now is how emails are being written.

Gone are the boring newsletters. In their place? Story-style formats, curated content digests, and personalized emails that talk like a friend, not a corporation. A strong email list is a goldmine—if used right.

8. Your Personal Brand Matters More Than Ever

People trust people more than companies. Whether you’re a freelancer, job-seeker, or business owner, your personal brand is a major asset.

Being active on LinkedIn, sharing behind-the-scenes on Instagram, or even starting a blog can build credibility and open doors. Clients and employers now Google you before they hire or buy. Make sure they find something worth their time.

9. Short Learning Cycles Are Replacing Traditional Degrees

Here’s something that’s become crystal clear in 2025: you don’t need a 3-year degree to start working in digital marketing. What you need is skills, hands-on practice, and the ability to adapt quickly.

That’s why so many learners are choosing the best digital marketing training institute in Calicut instead of traditional routes. Institutes that focus on live projects, real tools, and actual industry challenges are the ones producing job-ready professionals.

10. Platforms Come and Go—But Strategy Stays

It’s easy to get caught up in whatever platform is trending this month. Threads today, TikTok tomorrow, something new next week. But if you know how to build a good campaign—identify an audience, craft a message, and choose the right timing—you can adapt to any platform.

The fundamentals are what set you apart. And that’s what solid training focuses on—not just learning tools, but understanding strategy.

Final Thoughts

Digital marketing in 2025 isn’t just about being online—it’s about being intentional, creative, and quick to adapt. The landscape will keep changing, but those who stay curious, keep practicing, and learn from the right sources will always stay ahead.

If you're someone thinking about breaking into this space, consider your options wisely. The best digital marketing training institute in Calicut won’t just give you certificates—they’ll give you confidence, clarity, and real-world skills that matter.

You don’t need to be a genius. You just need to start. And there’s never been a better time than now.

[sujitchaulagainblogs]

How to Choose the Best CRM Software for Your Business

Choosing the right CRM software for your business is a big decision — and the right one can make a world of difference. Whether you’re running a small startup or managing a growing company, having an effective CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system helps you keep track of customers, boost sales, and improve overall productivity. Let’s walk through how you can choose the best CRM for your business without getting overwhelmed.

Why Your Business Needs a CRM

A CRM isn’t just a tool — it’s your business’s central hub for managing relationships. If you’re still relying on spreadsheets or scattered notes, you’re probably losing time (and leads). A good CRM helps you:

Keep customer data organized in one place

Track leads, sales, and follow-ups

Automate routine tasks

Get insights into sales performance

Improve customer service

The goal is simple: work smarter, not harder. And with an affordable CRM that fits your needs, you’ll see faster growth and smoother processes.

Define Your Business Goals

Before diving into features, figure out what you actually need. Ask yourself:

Are you trying to increase sales or improve customer service?

Do you need better lead tracking or marketing automation?

How big is your team, and how tech-savvy are they?

What’s your budget?

Knowing your goals upfront keeps you from wasting time on CRMs that might be packed with unnecessary features — or worse, missing key ones.

Must-Have Features to Look For

When comparing CRM options, focus on features that truly matter for your business. Here are some essentials:

Contact Management – Store customer details, interactions, and notes all in one place.

Lead Tracking – Follow leads through the sales funnel and never miss a follow-up.

Sales Pipeline Management – Visualize where your deals stand and what needs attention.

Automation – Save time by automating emails, reminders, and data entry.

Customization – Adjust fields, workflows, and dashboards to match your process.

Third-Party Integrations – Ensure your CRM connects with other software you rely on, like email marketing tools or accounting systems.

Reports & Analytics – Gain insights into sales, performance, and customer behavior.

User-Friendly Interface – If your team finds it clunky or confusing, they won’t use it.

Budget Matters — But Value Matters More

A CRM doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Plenty of affordable CRM options offer robust features without the hefty price tag. The key is balancing cost with value. Don’t just chase the cheapest option — pick a CRM that supports your business growth.

Take LeadHeed, for example. It’s an affordable CRM designed to give businesses the tools they need — like lead management, sales tracking, and automation — without stretching your budget. It’s a smart pick if you want to grow efficiently without overpaying for features you won’t use.

Test Before You Commit

Most CRMs offer a free trial — and you should absolutely use it. A CRM might look great on paper, but it’s a different story when you’re actually using it. During your trial period, focus on:

How easy it is to set up and start using

Whether it integrates with your existing tools

How fast you can access and update customer information

If your team finds it helpful (or frustrating)

A trial gives you a real feel for whether the CRM is a good fit — before you commit to a paid plan.

Think About Long-Term Growth

Your business might be small now, but what about next year? Choose a CRM that grows with you. Look for flexible pricing plans, scalable features, and the ability to add more users or advanced functions down the line.

It’s better to pick a CRM that can expand with your business than to go through the hassle of switching systems later.

Check Customer Support

Even the best software can hit a snag — and when that happens, you’ll want reliable support. Look for a CRM that offers responsive customer service, whether that’s live chat, email, or phone. A system is only as good as the help you get when you need it.

Read Reviews and Compare

Don’t just rely on the CRM’s website. Read reviews from other businesses — especially ones similar to yours. Sites like G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot offer honest insights into what works (and what doesn’t). Comparing multiple CRMs ensures you make a well-rounded decision.

The Bottom Line

Choosing the best CRM software for your business doesn’t have to be complicated. By understanding your goals, focusing on essential features, and keeping scalability and budget in mind, you’ll find a CRM that fits like a glove.

If you’re looking for an affordable CRM Software that checks all the right boxes — without cutting corners — LeadHeed is worth exploring. It’s built to help businesses like yours manage leads, automate tasks, and gain valuable insights while staying within budget.

The right CRM can transform how you run your business. Take the time to find the one that supports your growth, keeps your team organized, and helps you deliver an even better experience to your customers.

[niotechone]

Cloud Computing: Definition, Benefits, Types, and Real-World Applications

In the fast-changing digital world, companies require software that matches their specific ways of working, aims and what their customers require. That’s when you need custom software development services. Custom software is made just for your organization, so it is more flexible, scalable and efficient than generic software.

What does Custom Software Development mean?

Custom software development means making, deploying and maintaining software that is tailored to a specific user, company or task. It designs custom Software Development Services: Solutions Made Just for Your Business to meet specific business needs, which off-the-shelf software usually cannot do.

The main advantages of custom software development are listed below.

1. Personalized Fit

Custom software is built to address the specific needs of your business. Everything is designed to fit your workflow, whether you need it for customers, internal tasks or industry-specific functions.

2. Scalability

When your business expands, your software can also expand. You can add more features, users and integrations as needed without being bound by strict licensing rules.

3. Increased Efficiency

Use tools that are designed to work well with your processes. Custom software usually automates tasks, cuts down on repetition and helps people work more efficiently.

4. Better Integration

Many companies rely on different tools and platforms. You can have custom software made to work smoothly with your CRMs, ERPs and third-party APIs.

5. Improved Security

You can set up security measures more effectively in a custom solution. It is particularly important for industries that handle confidential information, such as finance, healthcare or legal services.

Types of Custom Software Solutions That Are Popular

CRM Systems

Inventory and Order Management

Custom-made ERP Solutions

Mobile and Web Apps

eCommerce Platforms

AI and Data Analytics Tools

SaaS Products

The Process of Custom Development

Requirement Analysis

Being aware of your business goals, what users require and the difficulties you face in running the business.

Design & Architecture

Designing a software architecture that can grow, is safe and fits your requirements.

Development & Testing

Writing code that is easy to maintain and testing for errors, speed and compatibility.

Deployment and Support

Making the software available and offering support and updates over time.

What Makes Niotechone a Good Choice?

Our team at Niotechone focuses on providing custom software that helps businesses grow. Our team of experts works with you throughout the process, from the initial idea to the final deployment, to make sure the product is what you require.

Successful experience in various industries

Agile development is the process used.

Support after the launch and options for scaling

Affordable rates and different ways to work together

Final Thoughts

Creating custom software is not only about making an app; it’s about building a tool that helps your business grow. A customized solution can give you the advantage you require in the busy digital market, no matter if you are a startup or an enterprise.

[advancedchatbot]

How AI Conversational Platforms Boost Lead Generation and Conversion Rates

AI-powered conversational platforms have become a necessity for marketers who need to create, connect, and convert leads in a short span of time. Since they can mimic the human touch and work 24/7, conversational platforms are changing the dynamics of how brands converse with prospects and how they close deals.

This is how they're making a positive impact.

Instant Engagement, Zero Wait Time

Today's customers need things in real time. AI-powered chatbot and voice assistants capture visitors the moment they land on a site and respond to questions, offer guidance, and stop drop-offs. That first interaction is usually the one that converts casual visitors into leads.

Qualifying Leads Automatically

AI platforms can be configured to pose intelligent, qualifying questions to identify a visitor's intent, budget, or timeline. This can be advantageous to businesses that focus on high-quality leads, it helps them to shorten response time and direct route prospects to the appropriate sales representative

Personalized Interactions That Convert

AI solutions scan user activity and adjust conversations to match. From recommending the appropriate product, providing a discount, or addressing a pain point, personalization builds trust and enhances conversion potential. This shows a customer that you remember small things about them, like their past purchase history and their likes and dislikes. This enables them to concentrate and sense more connected with your brand.

24/7 Lead Capture

Salespeople cannot work 24/7, but AI can. These sites capture leads 24/7, 7 days a week, across time zones, so you never miss a lead. This also helps to reach your customers on public holidays and weekends when your staff may not be working. This helps to boost your bottom line around the clock.

Seamless Integration with CRM Systems

New conversational platforms are natively connected with CRMs so that you can automatically log lead information, automate follow-up sequences, and track real-time conversion analytics.

Wrapping Up

AI conversation platforms are not chatbots, they're master lead generators. With real-time engagement, smart qualifications, and personalized experiences, they help businesses convert interest into action. For businesses looking to grow smartly, these tools not only keep the conversation alive but the conversions as well.

[carlhofelina]

Why Empowering Your Tech Startup Business is Key to Sustainable Growth

Tech startup businesses face many challenges, and while rapid growth is often the goal, achieving sustainable growth is essential for long-term success. Empowering your tech startup business with strategic planning, innovation, and resilience is crucial to staying competitive and ensuring a strong future.

10 Strategies for Empowering Tech Startup Businesses

1. Defining Vision and Mission

A clear vision and mission are fundamental for guiding your tech startup business. The vision sets long-term goals, while the mission outlines the approach to achieve them. By defining these elements, tech startup businesses can:

Make informed decisions

Align teams

Attract investors

A well-communicated vision also helps keep employees motivated and focused on company goals, providing direction during challenges. [1] 

2. Fostering Innovation and Agility

Innovation drives the growth of tech startup businesses, and agility ensures they can adapt quickly to changes in the market. To support innovation, tech startup businesses should:

Encourage creative thinking and experimentation

Test new ideas and adjust quickly

Stay adaptable to new technologies and consumer behaviors

Agility in response to market shifts helps maintain relevance and competitiveness.

3. Building a Resilient Business Model

A solid business model provides the foundation for sustainable growth in any tech startup business. Many tech startup businesses fail by scaling too fast without a flexible model. Key steps to build resilience include:

Diversifying revenue streams

Focusing on customer retention

Improving operational efficiency

These strategies reduce risks and ensure a stable structure for long-term growth.

4. Leveraging Technology for Efficiency

Tech startup businesses should embrace technology to streamline operations. Automation, AI, and cloud computing help reduce manual tasks, allowing tech startup businesses to focus on growth. Key tools include:

Automated workflows

CRM systems

AI-driven data analytics

These technologies boost productivity and reduce inefficiencies, helping tech startup businesses scale effectively.

5. Prioritizing Customer-Centric Strategies

Customer satisfaction is crucial for sustainable growth in any tech startup business. Startups should build strong relationships with customers by:

Gathering feedback and adapting products or services

Improving user experience

Offering personalized solutions

A customer-focused approach increases loyalty, encourages referrals, and reduces churn.

6. Investing in Talent and Leadership

The strength of your team determines the success of your tech startup business. Investing in talent means fostering an environment of growth through:

Encouraging communication and collaboration

Providing skill development opportunities

Rewarding innovation and problem-solving

When employees feel valued, they contribute to the company's long-term growth and success.

7. Addressing Regulatory and Compliance Challenges

Tech startup businesses must ensure compliance with relevant regulations to avoid risks. Common challenges include:

Intellectual property rights

Data privacy laws

Industry-specific regulations

By staying proactive in compliance, tech startup businesses build trust with investors, customers, and partners.

8. Incorporating Sustainable Practices

Sustainability is now essential for businesses, including tech startup businesses. Startups should integrate sustainable practices, such as:

Reducing environmental impact

Implementing remote work policies

Supporting ethical supply chains

Sustainable practices not only appeal to eco-conscious customers but also contribute to long-term profitability.

9. Forming Strategic Partnerships

Strategic partnerships help accelerate growth for tech startup businesses and provide additional resources. Startups can benefit from partnerships by:

Expanding into new markets

Sharing knowledge and resources

Reducing costs and risks

Strong partnerships increase credibility and provide a competitive edge.

10. Maintaining Financial Discipline

Financial discipline ensures long-term success for any tech startup business. Startups must manage their resources carefully to avoid running out of capital. Key strategies include:

Monitoring cash flow

Diversifying funding sources

Prioritizing profitability

Financial discipline prepares tech startup businesses for unexpected challenges and allows for reinvestment in growth.

Conclusion

Empowering your tech startup business involves focusing on key areas such as vision, innovation, resilience, and financial discipline. By building a strong foundation in these areas, tech startup businesses can ensure long-term growth and success in an ever-changing market.

Additionally, effective lead gen strategies, such as leveraging the services provided by companies like Radius Global Solutions, and maintaining high data quality service, can significantly enhance the growth potential of your tech startup business.

Ready to empower your startup? Start implementing these strategies today and set the foundation for a sustainable, successful future. Visit Best Virtual Specialist to learn how our solutions can help your business grow.

Reference: 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/future-proofing-tech-startups-ensuring-sustainability-sanyal-ho8ec/ 

[davidbrianhoward]

Why Smart Startups Are Turning to David Brian Howard to Fix Their Sales Engines

In the high-stakes world of startup growth, few things stall momentum faster than a broken sales process. Founders often spend months perfecting their product—only to realize too late that they have no scalable way to get it into the hands of customers.

That’s where David Brian Howard comes in.

With over 12 years of experience in B2B sales and go-to-market execution, David Brian Howard has emerged as a trusted operator for SaaS companies and service-based startups that need more than advice—they need revenue. As the founder of Cadre Crew, a firm that builds virtual SDR teams and outbound systems, Howard has helped dozens of companies escape flatlined growth and get back on track.

His edge? He doesn’t chase hype. He builds systems.

The Problem: Startups Don’t Build Sales Engines—They Wing It

One of the most common mistakes Howard sees in early-stage companies is confusing traction with repeatability. A few warm intros and inbound leads might get you to $10–$30K MRR, but it won’t get you to scale.

“I’ve worked with so many founders who can sell the product themselves—but when it comes time to delegate sales, they have no process,” says David Brian Howard. “There’s no documented pipeline, no CRM logic, no messaging that converts cold leads.”

The result? Founder burnout, inconsistent revenue, and missed opportunities.

The David Brian Howard Playbook: Precision and Process

Unlike traditional consultants who offer generic advice, David Howard brings tactical execution to the table. He’s built and led sales teams, rebuilt broken CRMs, and launched outbound campaigns that actually generate meetings—with high-intent prospects.

At the core of his approach is a system he calls Precision Prospecting—a methodology that combines deep prospect intelligence, context-driven messaging, and automation that feels personal.

Here’s what it includes:

1. Smart Targeting

Before a single email goes out, David Brian Howard’s team maps buyer signals—funding events, tech stack changes, recent hires—and builds lead lists based on real purchase intent.

2. Relevance-First Messaging

Forget “Just checking in” or “Quick question.” Howard teaches teams how to craft outreach that speaks directly to the pain point—usually within the first two sentences.

3. Scalable Support

Through Cadre Crew, Howard supplies trained virtual assistants and SDRs who handle top-of-funnel research and outreach, freeing up closers to close.

It’s a model that delivers results quickly—without bloating headcount.

Real Results, Not Just Theories

In late 2024, a struggling SaaS company in Miami brought Howard in as interim head of growth. Revenue was stuck under $20K MRR. There was no outbound motion. The sales team was out of steam.

Within 90 days, monthly revenue tripled. Demo volume increased 218%. The founder was offloaded from daily sales for the first time since launch.

This wasn’t luck—it was a system. And it’s exactly what David Brian Howard installs for every client he works with.

Why Founders Trust David Brian Howard

Howard’s background isn’t theoretical. He’s built revenue from the ground up, sat in the sales seat, and knows what it takes to go from founder-led selling to scalable growth. His style is direct, data-driven, and built around action—not noise.

As more startups shift away from vanity metrics and toward sustainable sales, David Brian Howard is quickly becoming the go-to partner for founders who want to fix their funnel and grow with purpose.

[servicestech]

Transform your auto dealership with advanced CRM solutions from TechMatrix Consulting. Our cutting-edge CRM for Automobile enhances operational efficiency, boosts sales, and improves customer satisfaction. By implementing TechMatrix Consulting's tailored CRM solutions, you can streamline your processes, manage customer relationships effectively, and stay ahead in the competitive automotive industry. Our CRM systems are designed to optimize sales strategies, enhance customer engagement, and drive long-term success. Embrace the power of CRM for Automobile and take your dealership to the next level.