Consumer confidence is at an all-time low. Businesses are cutting their expenses to the bone. So how are you supposed to sell anything to anyone in these challenging times?
The first thing I want you to do is get focused. It may ...READ»
I recently returned from the bi-annual Professional Materials (ProMat) trade show at Chicago’s McCormick Center, and it was quickly evident that many companies have lost sight of the 5 rules of B2B trade show process.
They ...READ»
If ever there was a time to be negotiating (and renegotiating) contracts with vendors for the coming year, now is it.
Before you read further, I want to state this: You should not look at this as an opportunity to take advantage of ...READ»
If you're marketing on a finite budget... and aren't we all these days... it's important to be aware of the constant balancing act between reach and repetition.
Reach is how many people you are trying to put your message in front of. ...READ»
I like looking at logos. The good and the not so good, and trying to discern how they were conceived, the strategic thought process that went into developing the strategy, and then into the design itself.
But a few months ago I read ...READ»
I have never accused myself of, nor misled myself about, being in tune with the strategic rationale of some marketers because I wasn't in those meetings, but I simply can’t explain the new campaign for the NFL Players Association ...READ»
If, on average, only 30% of companies bought or invested in by private equity firms achieve the success the PE company envisioned when the investment was made, one has to wonder why those firms spend little or no time and effort ...READ»
Buying or investing in a range of strategically similar companies, and then combining IT and back office operations, is a common practice for private equity firms to reduce overall costs of ownership and wring out more cash flow ...READ»
In a day and age where venture capital investments require vast financial return potential, bank loans cannot be obtained without an unconditional personal guarantee, and high-interest credit cards have become a mainstream source of ...READ»
Real estate agents constantly need to adjust to the changes in the real estate industry. With 83% of consumers with real estate needs starting their research online and an equal 80% or more of consumers working with the first agent ...READ»
Leads are the fuel that makes your financial machine run. You must constantly add new names of prospective customers to your pipeline, then work on taking as many of them as you can to the next step in the dance: ...READ»
There's no doubt in my mind that 2009 will be a better year for business.
The economy will turn around, if it has not already done so before the end of 2008. Many businesses will disappear in the mean time, some closing their ...READ»
With all that is available to us today, why is it that a company's greatest asset can more often than not, be its most under-utilized?
Short-sightedness? Tunnel vision? Bravado? Strict adherence to long-standing senior ...READ»
If many manufacturers and their sales teams sell products and not solutions, does that mean that their customers buy products too, and not solutions?
They buy both of course, but it depends on what level in the hierarchical ...READ»
Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?
Every four years, the country is over-run with political ads from presidential hopefuls, and for the most part, they are aggressive, in-your-face and pushing the limits of the truth....all ...READ»
I want you to give some serious thought to a specific part of your branding: your personality. Not your own, that of your business.
Yes, your business has a personality. If you don’t know what it is, ask your customers. ...READ»
Owners of IT consulting businesses usually have very valuable technical skills. Yet these same IT consultants often fall short when it comes to business know-how, and specifically how to attract clients.
This lack of ...READ»
In terms of marketing and sales techniques, the vast majority of US-based industrial manufacturers continue to live in the past. And so do their agencies or in-house departments.
Sell products on features and benefits. Show ...READ»
If you sell to anyone under about 30 years old (and that number gets bigger every year) you must start looking at mobile advertising.
Mobile advertising is placing your message on mobile phones. It can be as simple as sending text ...READ»
If you sell to anyone under about 30 years old (and that number gets bigger every year) you must start looking at mobile advertising.
Mobile advertising is placing your message on mobile phones. It can be as simple as sending ...READ»
I've always preached continuity in your marketing and advertising. By that I mean that you establish a certain look and fee (and sound if applicable). You establish a color theme, general layout, borders, type faces, colors... and ...READ»
Marketing schizophrenia can be defined in many ways, but one of the most compelling barometers I've found is an advertiser's consistent creation of short term "campaigns". (And of course, use of the term brand campaign.) ...READ»
Lots of people are talking about social networking. They're generally talking about the online version of what people have done for hundreds of years: interact with numerous people, realizing that some will become valuable ...READ»
It's been an accepted practice for many years, but the time has come for broadcast companies and their advertisers to change the "tricks" they play on us TV viewers.
Because they are losing eyeballs and therefore ...READ»
