We’ve all heard of the “pay it forward” concept and Random Acts of Kindness (RAOK). One person offers an act of kindness to another, that recipient then offers acts of kindness to a couple of other people, and the effect snowballs into a wave of generous acts spread across hundreds, or even thousands of people. Just like that time everyone paid for everyone else’s Starbucks.

So why not take the RAOK concept and apply it to your social presence?

Let's face it, you either like to write or you don't. Just the simple thought of 'writing' intimidates people or is considered a hassle. I'm a sales guy by trade and never really enjoyed writing. But I have come to terms with A) it's inevitable to grow my business, and B) I have really good sales and marketing stories to share that can help impact the results of other businesses.

Regardless of the size of your marketing department, there are certain metrics that should be measured regularly in order to achieve your online lead generation goals. Gone are the days of getting by with viewing monthly Google Analytics reporting. CEOs, VPs of Sales & Marketing, and other executive leadership require more than that to reach growth goals. They want to know what visitors are doing on your foodservice website, what they are interested in, and how many of these visits turn into customers.  

The following are the top high-level metrics your foodservice business (whether you are a factory or a manufacturer rep) should be monitoring:

If the most important aspect of persuading your target audience is identifying who your audience is, then the second most crucial concept is knowing what to say and how to say it.

Word choice isn’t the simple selection of what sounds good. It isn’t picking phrases that are easy to read or are part of a pool of marketing jargon. Choosing the right word is a psychological challenge that any marketing or communication specialist should understand, if even on a basic level.

Let's be honest. Sales is a lot like dating. We have a list of do's and don'ts that can make life easier so we don't come across as too pushy, too salesy, disinterested, out-of-touch, unknowledgeable, unprofessional, and in some cases, even desperate. 

Generating leads can be hard enough, but once you've qualified someone as a lead, how do you nurture them? Here are 10 things to keep in mind in order to keep and convert your foodservice sales leads: