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 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 ReadingIt’s All About Leads
Ask any salesperson and they will likely tell you that good leads are the most important aspect of successful selling. I’ve worked for companies at all different levels on this topic – from absolute garbage leads (the company thought they were good) to golden leads (that were often ignored!). The golden leads are money if you have salespeople who can effectively qualify. To that point, Miller-Heiman has released their annual Sales Best Practices Study (h/t Managesmarter.com). One of their many interesting findings: Organizations in which sales and marketing are aligned regarding their target market, customer profile, and lead definitions are in a much stronger position to produce quality leads. Maintaining… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Most Important Innovations
…of the past 30 years is a topic I posted on last week. The top 30 list was unveiled this week. Here is the video link to the story regarding the top technical innovations. And here is the overall list: 30. Anti retroviral treatment for AIDS 29. SRAM flash 28. Stents 27. ATMs 26. Bar codes and scanners 25. Bio fuels 24. Genetically modified plants 23. RFID and applications (e.g. EZpass) 22. Digital photography/videography 21. Graphic user interface (GUI) 20. Social networking via internet 19. Large scale wind turbines 18. Photovoltaic Solar Energy 17. Microfinance 16. Media file compression (e.g., jpeg, mpeg, mp3) 15. Online shopping/ecommerce/auctions (e.g., eBay) 14. GPS… Read More
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 Reading30 Most Important Innovations
We receive many media alerts at Select Metrix, but this one caught my eye. PBS’ Nightly Business Report is airing the 30 Most Important Innovations from the Last 30 Years. Here is their description: In 1979, the first spreadsheet software was introduced, Sony rolled out the Walkman, ESPN began broadcasting sporting events to cable TV companies, and on public television, Nightly Business Report made its debut. To celebrate their three decades on the air, PBS’ Nightly Business Report has teamed up with Knowledge@Wharton, the online research and business analysis journal of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, to select the 30 most important innovations from the last 30… 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
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