Learning Center
Plain-English answers for business owners
Plain-English answers to the sales, marketing, and operations questions owners ask most — with links to the templates that put each answer into practice.
35 resources
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How often should I follow up with a lead?
More than once, and more than most people are comfortable with.
- Learning CenterMembers
Do I need a website?
In most cases, yes — but a simple one.
Marketing fundamentalsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
How do I ask customers for reviews?
Ask everyone, ask soon, and make it one click.
Customer experiencefaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
How do I create a simple client onboarding process?
Write down what should happen in the first two weeks, assign an owner and a deadline to each item, and do it the same way every time.
Business operationsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
How do I get more referrals?
Ask, specifically, at the right moment.
Customer experiencefaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
How do I get my first customers?
Through people who already know you, almost always.
Sales fundamentalsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
How do I handle price objections?
Understand it before you respond to it. "It's too expensive" can mean several different things.
Sales fundamentalsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
How do I keep customers coming back?
Deliver what you promised, stay in contact when you are not selling, and make the next step obvious.
Customer experiencefaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
How do I know if my marketing is working?
Count customers, not attention.
Reporting and metricsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
How do I manage my time when I'm doing everything?
Decide the week before it decides you, and protect time for the work that only you can do.
Business operationsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
How do I price my services?
Start from your costs, sanity-check against the market, and land on a number you can say out loud without apologizing.
Sales fundamentalsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
How do I stop scope creep?
Write down what is included and what is not, before the work starts, and use a written change process for everything else.
Business operationsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
How do I write a good subject line?
Be specific, be short, and describe what is actually inside.
Email marketingfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
How do I write copy that doesn't sound salesy?
Describe the problem accurately, be specific, and say what you are not.
Marketing fundamentalsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
How long should my marketing emails be?
As short as the job allows — and the job varies.
Email marketingfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
How many social media platforms should I use?
One or two, done consistently.
Social media marketingfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
How often should I email my list?
Pick a cadence you can sustain through a busy month, and hold it.
Email marketingfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterFree
How often should I follow up with a lead?
More than once, and more than most people are comfortable with.
Sales fundamentalsfaqlearningRead it now - Learning CenterMembers
Should I run paid ads?
Not until three things are true.
Marketing fundamentalsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
What does a good proposal look like?
It reads as an answer to their problem, not a brochure about you.
Sales fundamentalsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
What is a conversion rate?
A conversion rate is the percentage of people who took the action you wanted, out of everyone who had the chance.
Reporting and metricsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
What is a CRM and do I need one?
A CRM — customer relationship management system — is where you keep track of everyone you are talking to and what needs to happen next.
Business operationsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
What is a lead magnet?
A lead magnet is something useful you give away in exchange for contact details.
Marketing fundamentalsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterFree
What is a sales pipeline?
A sales pipeline is a list of everyone who might buy from you, organized by how close they are to deciding.
Sales fundamentalsfaqlearningRead it now - Learning CenterFree
What is a target audience?
Your target audience is the specific group of people most likely to buy from you and be glad they did.
Marketing fundamentalsfaqlearningRead it now - Learning CenterFree
What is a value proposition?
A value proposition is one clear sentence explaining who you help, what changes for them, and why you rather than someone else.
Marketing fundamentalsfaqlearningRead it now - Learning CenterMembers
What is an open rate, and what's a good one?
An open rate is the percentage of delivered emails that were opened. A click rate is the percentage that led to a click.
Email marketingfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterFree
What is an SOP?
An SOP — standard operating procedure — is a written description of how a recurring task gets done in your business.
Business operationsfaqlearningRead it now - Learning CenterMembers
What is customer lifetime value?
Customer lifetime value is the total revenue you expect from a customer across the whole relationship, not just the first sale.
Reporting and metricsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
What should be in a marketing plan?
For a small business, a marketing plan fits on one page and answers ten questions:
Marketing fundamentalsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
What should I do if nobody responds to my marketing?
Work through four possibilities in order, because they need different fixes.
Marketing fundamentalsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
What should I do when a customer complains?
Acknowledge fast, establish the facts, respond specifically, and fix the cause.
Customer experiencefaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterFree
What should I post on social media?
Five kinds of post cover almost everything, and rotating them removes the guesswork:
Social media marketingfaqlearningRead it now - Learning CenterMembers
What's the difference between marketing and sales?
Marketing creates awareness and interest. Sales converts that interest into a paying customer.
Marketing fundamentalsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
When should I hire someone?
When you have consistent work you cannot deliver, the money to pay for help through a slow patch, and a written description of the job.
Business operationsfaqlearningPreview - Learning CenterMembers
Which marketing metrics should a small business track?
Five numbers, tracked monthly, will tell you almost everything:
Reporting and metricsfaqlearningPreview
Questions about Learning Center
Is this professional advice?
No. It is general educational information. Talk to a qualified professional for legal, tax, or financial decisions.
How is this different from the templates?
The Learning Center explains the why. The action categories hold the templates you copy and use.
Can I suggest a topic?
Yes. Send a question through the contact page.
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