I bet you’ve heard some of these statements: “Our customers aren’t tech-savvy.” “Face-to-face is how we sell.” “Our products are too complex for online sales.” “Inside sales is too impersonal.” “We don’t want to upset our sales people I’ve heard these and many more excuses plenty of times dating back to the late 90’s when …
Mono-line sales leader, please meet Mr. Dinosaur. Read More »
Good for Barbie. Success on a measly $150 million budget. (Sarcasm very much intended). It’s easy for any marketer to look good with tens of millions of dollars to spend. Not many crucial decisions to be made, the ability to hide the failed tactics amidst the mass spending. In 2009 when interviewing for my first shot to be …
I took a break from the corporate side of marketing in my early 30’s. I wanted to work on a variety of brands in a variety of industries, so I moved to the agency side of marketing. At one of my first clients meetings, I was the with the agency President while we listed to …
Advice to marketers: don’t solve problems at the table. Read More »
A simple tip on customer experience: deliver the “unnecessary and unexpected but sincerely appreciated” moments. Richard Waine Photography did this. Small-Biz brand-building done right. My last professional photos happened 3 years ago and it was time for a re-do. I found a tremendous photographer…Richard Waine; actually, he found me by sending me a LinkedIn Request. His portfolio is stellar, …
The unnecessary and unexpected but thoroughly appreciated. Read More »
Size doesn’t matter in business. Speed, dexterity, hunger, smarts does. At a board meeting 12 years ago, our chairman was Googling keywords during my marketing update. He pummeled me with questions and derisive comments. “How come this company is appearing on page 1 and we’re not? They’re so much smaller than we are are.” I …
Packaging matters. Hey, marketers: the product is the most important thing for sure, but the packaging (and naming) is a close second…a very close second. Don’t ever say that product packaging and design doesn’t matter. I’m not a wine guy at all but, when browsing the aisles, this product jumped out at me. The product …
Great packaging can mean the difference between stopping a customer in their tracks or having them move past your product without even a glance towards your product. Blinding flash of the obvious, right? But it bears repeating. Good marketing blends function and emotion to “arrest” buyers and make them take notice. That’s why I purchased …
I do a fair amount of mentoring of young marketing professionals. Often-times I’m asked my opinion on the behavioral traits needed for success. There’s certainly a long list of traits needed for success; here are just a few that come to mind: Curiosity: You have to keep asking “what if” and “why not” and “help …
Be a velvet sledgehammer (and some other necessary behavioral traits for marketers). Read More »
Over the course of my 34 year marketing, advertising, branding and communications career, I’ve learned a ton of lessons, some the hard way. But, I’ve found that there are a handful of durable truths. I’m sharing some of them here for today’s younger marketing pros: Spending: The test of a true marketer is now how …
A few things that up-and-coming marketing pros should learn. Read More »
Customer experience folks: what’s your opinion on this? My daughter gave me this bourbon aging barrel as a Christmas gift. It leaked after I completed curing procedures. The company said my daughter failed to cure the barrel immediately upon receipt. It was an honest miss, I said; she kept it packed for gift-wrapping. I asked …