Sometimes good advice is just good advice, no matter the source. This is one of those cases.

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Sure, you probably know what your Web hosting is costing you per month. You may even know your maintenance costs. But do you know what your site is costing you in lost business?

In CIO magazine, Web usability guru Jakob Nielsen cited a study his company did of 170 B2B sites. The results? “I was appalled.”  The study showed that the majority of B2B sites studied were “difficult to navigate and rarely answer customers’ questions in a straightforward manner.”

Ask your customers what they (honestly) think of your Web site. If you’re dismayed at the responses, realize how lucky you are to still have those folks as customers. Then go get your Web site fixed.

Close Ratio, Close\ Ra”ti*o, n.

The percentage of sales closed based on a variety of criteria, including leads, suspects, prospects, offers, etc.

An offer pitched to 10 prospects resulted in two closed orders — close ratio is 20 percent. Maintaining a strong close ratio is improved when calling on the right prospects, there is a compelling reason, a comfort level and a level of consistency. You are much more likely to land an appointment — and the deal — if you introduce yourself and the prospect says, “I have heard of your company.”

The “Schubert Sales-Centric Marketing Dictionary” is available in the resource section of our Newsroom.

No, we’re not going all existential on you. But it’s a good question to ask about your trade show strategy. Unfortunately, too many exhibitors ask this question after they’ve invested their dollars and are standing in their booth – alone.

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Think blogging and Twitter are just for college kids? Think again. A recent study by Forrester Research of more than 1,200 B2B buyers showed that 91% of these decision-makers are reading blogs, watching user-generated video and participating in other social media. Of those buyers, 69% said they were using this technology for business purposes.

Forrester analyst, author and blogger Josh Bernoff sums it up perfectly: “What does this mean for you? If you’re a B2B marketer and you’re not using social technologies in your marketing, it means you’re late.” Read Josh’s complete entry on his blog, groundswell.

Admittedly, I’m a bit late to this party. Ad Age posts a weekly update on what viral videos people are watching and how the videos’ standings change week to week.

I’m also reminded of last week’s episode of Celebrity Apprentice, when Donald Trump challenged contestants to create a viral video. Ultimately, both teams failed to create a worthy video. This episode led me to wonder, “Can you actually set out to make a viral video, or is it just a video?”

Understandably, you have to create a buzz and target the right audience. But what else?

Opinions? Please comment!