I had a laugh regarding a web inquiry one of my customers received recently. The inquiry was the first one the company had received “in 8 months.” When the salesperson emailed the contact to set up a call, the contact said he was a victim of identity theft and had not submitted the inquiry. You know, some days just go that way.
Continue ReadingWriting Gone Bad
A sentence I just read in a laptop battery warranty statement: We are happy to send a replacement when you receive a defective item from us. “when”!?!
Continue ReadingA Marketing Tell
If you are not familiar with poker parlance, a tell is a subtle but detectable change in a player’s appearance, movement or expression. In essence, it is a clue as to the strength of the cards they are holding. Poker players are masters of reading body language and movement for these signs. I find this information fascinating in the context of hiring. When is a candidate lying? What signs can you read to know when they are stretching the truth? I’ve seen a new tell that I think has legs – marketing approaches of decision makers. Here is where this thought developed; the top executive at one of our customers… Read More
Continue ReadingBou Branding
Being a coffee addict, this news is huge for me. Caribou is rebranding itself with a new logo an some drinks/products (I’m in it for the coffee so these ancillary items are inconsequential to me). The logo change: Here is the part of marketing/branding that catches my attention: Alfredo Martel, Caribou’s senior vice president of marketing, said that the new logo focuses on “optimism and an optimistic outlook on life.” Don’t you love that? That is a pretty heavy analysis of what seems to be a simple logo. I was more intrigued by the fact that the new logo uses a coffee bean for the caribou’s body. I’ve read some… Read More
Continue ReadingQuality Is Overrated
I picked up a business card this week from a business associate that had this tagline on it: Were Quality Is #1 Absolutely not kidding.
Continue ReadingSimply Elegant Marketing
There is an elegance to simplicity that often gets belittled, mocked or dismissed. That condescension can blind one’s eyes to an cost-effective marketing campaign. I give you Google Video from Germany (via SalesHQ.com): I love the simplicity of the entire clever campaign.
Continue ReadingFindability
It is a travel day for me – back to the cold of Minnesota – so may I suggest a thought-provoking article from the Killian BrandAid email newsletter? Finability: Catch The Fourth Wave is a must read. First a taste: Buyers, not sellers, control all transactions. That’s a sweeping generalization, but let’s sweep together: Your prospects feel entitled to do their own research, given that they believe they have the information resources to find you (and, of course, find your competitors). Since a brand’s first duty is visibility, it’s essential that every organization with competitors (let’s spell that out: You) must engage in findability engineering. Your future depends on it.… Read More
Continue ReadingMore Than A Name
Here is an interesting post from one of Inc.com’s blogs. This one discusses the importance of a company’s name for branding purposes. The short post contains something simple, but profound: In fact, only one of the 12 — Jeff Taylor, founder of Monster.com — felt the name he selected was indispensable and key to branding his company. Surprisingly, not even Starbuck’s co-founder Jerry Baldwin felt the name was essential. Some of the other business leaders I consulted with — such as Ben & Jerry’s Homemade founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, cosmetics expert Bobbi Brown, Wally “Famous” Amos, Kate Spade, and David Oreck — named their companies in part or… Read More
Continue ReadingOne Source Value Proposition
I have been noticing a common value proposition from distribution companies – “your one-stop shop for all things _________.” Some of the sales reps for these companies use this value proposition as their main lever. I tell them this is a mistake. Here’s why – the web changes everything about sourcing. I don’t need to limit myself to one vendor for all my _______ needs. In fact, I have a subtle doubt about that approach – am I getting the best deal, product or solution if I go with one company exclusively? The “catalogue mentality” is fading from our society and being replaced with a research mentality. The proverbial old… Read More
Continue ReadingMental Focus
In case you ever wondered why your marketing campaigns were not working: (h/t Seth Godin)
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