Center for Economic Vitality

Western Washington University College of Business and Economics

Advancing the Economic Vitality of Our Communities

Business Resources

Marketing and Sales

S.W.O.T Your Competition (PDF)

New Rules for Sales Enablement: How to Stop Sabotaging Your Sales Teams and Start Empowering Them

   Author suggests the traditional approach to sales is broken.

Idea Site for Business

   Good site for advice from the marketing experts. Try the "Idea-of-the-Day" online newsletter.

Customer Satisfaction Survey Form

   The Business Owners Toolkit is an excellent site for business information. This site includes a link to a customer satisfaction survey that you can use to see what your customers are thinking.

The Catalog Production Tips

   Brief article about considerations when producing a catalog.

Sample Business Letters

   Site contains over 500 different business letters.

Ultimate Trade Show Resource

   Search for trade shows, suppliers, or venues.

Marketing Plan for the Independent Inventor

   A tutorial on writing a marketing plan that covers understanding the purpose of a marketing plan; creating strategies for conducting market research, pricing, promotion, advertising; and identifying target markets and competition.

American Marketing Association

   Great site for marketing articles, links, and templates.

Make the Most Out of Trade Shows

   Identifies some easy ways to make a good impression at trade shows. It is geared toward a company willing to spend time and money to make trade shows a worthwhile endeavor.

Follow-Up Marketing

   A study done by the Association of Sales Executives revealed that 81% of all sales happens on or after the fifth contact. If you are a business owner and you are only doing one or two follow-ups imagine all the business you are losing. This articles describes a follow-up system which details types of follow-ups and useful marketing tools.

Survey Information

   A helpful resource on types of surveys and samples.

Reference USA

   This is an online database that contains detailed information on more than 12 million businesses; 102 million U.S. residents; 683,000 healthcare providers; 1 million Canadian business; and 11 million Canadian residents. To use this site you must enter a barcode from a valid Whatcom County library card.

QuickMBA Marketing Resources

   An online knowledge guide for business administration. This page has a many useful links to marketing resources.

Hoover's Online

   Delivers comprehensive company, industry, and market intelligence that drives business growth. This database consists of 12 million companies, with in-depth coverage of 40,000 of the world's top business enterprises.

Direct Mail Tips

   Tips on how to conduct an effective direct mail campaign.