At the core of all sales and marketing success is a strong relationship with your customer. You create trust, loyalty and expectation because of quality and consistency. However, sales and marketing are often approached with an ROI mindset, with no emphasis on customer lifetime value.

There's an emerging trend lately among web designers, coders and even some social media elite. It's an organized effort to "Kill IE 6", and it speaks to a larger issue of staying current with technology.

Email marketing is a great way to spread your message, but is only practical with a healthy list. The privacy issues tied to purchasing email addresses are serious, so growing your list in an organic and innovative fashion is crucial.

It makes total sense, especially for small companies with limited cash and resources. Why spend the time and money to learn a new skill or invest in new technology when your 'partner' has already mastered it or purchased it?