If you’re planning your marketing for the next six months or year what’s on your list? Traditional print advertising, maybe some direct mail or perhaps you fancy dipping your toe into the world of social media. Finding the right combination of marketing (and a good level of return on investment) can make for a bumper year or a business patch you’d rather forget about.

The rise of social media and email as marketing business tools might make you think that’s where most businesses invest their time and effort. You might be surprised to discover that a recent study by B2B Marketing and sponsored by the Telemarketing Company found that businesses think telemarketing is critical for their success.

They are your customers. They've purchased products or services from you. They've demonstrated trust in you. So when was the last time you offered them something new? Something different? Something that will enhance and improve their current situation?

If you're like a lot of small business owners, you've probably been busy servicing existing clients and (hopefully) also taking action to attract new business. Nothing wrong with that, provided that you're getting sufficient returns to justify the effort you're putting into it.

Ever heard the expression that repetition is the mother of skill? It's about adopting good and often very basic habits that will serve you in your business (and personal) life. The simplest habits to implement are often the ones that are the first to be ignored. For example, forgetting to agree next steps and set up a time to follow through with people you've met at a trade show or exhibition.

If you've ever made lots of calls, especially first-time or cold calls to other businesses you'll know that it can sometimes be difficult to maintain momentum if you're getting a lot of what you consider to be rejection: Nobody you speak to seems to be receptive to what you're saying, they become defensive, appear to misunderstand you or it's clear that you're just another interruption to their day and they want to get off the phone as soon as possible. The bottom line is that you've become forgettable when you really want to be memorable.