The Competitive Advantage

November 11, 2015

Get Away, Part 1: 5 Key Lessons Learned at our First Corporate Retreat

I just got back home after two days in the woods… at Harpeth Marketing’s first-ever corporate retreat. Our goal was to think through and discuss the direction for our firm in 2016 and beyond.

OK – in full disclosure – the assembled group was made up of just me! [So, for all of you independent consultants and small shops – you, too, can do this!] And like every other corporate retreat I’ve been involved with, there were flip chart pages taped all over the walls, good ideas, bad ideas, some yelling and arguing (even alone, saying things out loud is really helpful)… and a cold adult beverage (or two) to wrap up the day.

It was a very productive couple of days… and I walked away with a clearer vision and direction for our business. I also walked away with some thoughts about how to get the most out of these kinds of gatherings (especially for smaller firms)…

October 30, 2015

Not using LinkedIn? Are you kidding me?!

In an odd coincidence, twice in the past week, I had conversations with industry colleagues who were skeptical of the value of LinkedIn as a marketing tool. One of them thought it was just a place to look for a job. The other one asked me, “So, what’s the value of being on LinkedIn?”

No, these were not 80-year-olds who had never touched a computer… but in 2015, when social media is so pervasive in our [business] lives, you’d have thought these two professionals – partners in their respective firms – would have had a better understanding of the platform and its value. So it got me to thinking… how many others out there think the same way? Which lead me to writing this article…

By the way, I am not a paying “power user” of LinkedIn. Like most of you, I use the free version. However, I am VERY active on it… and the value of it as a marketing channel has proven itself over and over.

October 28, 2015

A Handshake Still Matters

I spent last week on Brickell Key in Miami (yeah – I took one for the team!) at CASRO’s 40^th Annual Conference. Good event, some really interesting speakers and sessions, well-done social activities and a couple dozen exhibiting firms (including us!).

Over the 3 days, I had the opportunity to connect with a number of new industry contacts (now called ‘sales prospects’) and – maybe more importantly – re-connect with a bunch of old friends, contacts, colleagues and clients.

Say what you will about technology and the digital world we live in, but in business, nothing is more important than that person-to-person (P2P) connection. The handshake… the smile… the laughter… a REAL connection.

October 19, 2015

Does anybody even care what’s on your website?

Fact… your website is your top marketing tool – the #1 place prospective clients will go to do their due diligence on your firm.

So, do me a favor right now. Click over to your firm’s website and browse around for a few minutes. Go ahead… I’ll wait!

What did you see?

If your site is like most, you’ve waxed poetic about all of the services you offer, how great your employees are, your ‘special’ internal processes and even your mission statement.

OK, I’ll say it, “Nobody cares!” Not that much, anyway.

October 13, 2015

You can’t be “half-ass” about marketing and sales.

I had a conversation last week with a sales prospect… he was the co-founder of a firm with about 20 employees. Actually, it was the last of several phone calls and email exchanges and I was calling to find out if he was going to accept the proposal I had sent to him. He didn’t.

He said that, rather than outsource to us, he was going to have one of his employees “take care of” sales and marketing… in addition to continuing to work with and service clients, which he does now.

I’m gonna let that sink in for a minute.

October 6, 2015

Integrated Marketing: Getting Maximum Impact from your Marketing Tactics

Imagine you work for a small-to-mid-size firm with a small – but active – marketing program. You have a solid website, you blog weekly, send out a monthly email blast, post to social media daily (LinkedIn and Twitter) and even produce a webinar once each quarter. Pretty good stuff!

But here’s the thing… if all of those tactics are not working together, you might not be achieving the kind of results you could be. For example…

September 27, 2015

Is it OK to fire a client?

During a kick-off meeting recently for an engagement with a new client, I was talking with the owner of this market research firm and he mentioned that he had recently fired one of his largest clients – a Fortune 500 company that generated several hundred thousand dollars worth of business for him every year! Evidently, though, this client was overly demanding and downright abusive to his employees. So, his choice was… fire the client or risk losing some staff members. Wow! Tough situation.

And one I hear about far too often.

What do you think? Is it OK to fire a client… or do you believe that every bit of revenue is precious and worth holding onto, regardless of the ‘cost?’

September 23, 2015

Don’t Be an Idiot When Making Marketing & Sales Decisions

How do you make your marketing & sales decisions?

For example…

• What topics do you choose to blog about?
• How do you decide what your ads will say?
• Why don’t you Tweet?

For most people and most firms… these kinds of decisions are often made by the senior executive at the firm… who relies (far too much, IMHO) on his or her own feelings… on what they think ought to happen… and on what their gut tells them to do. And even if it’s a reasonably well-informed gut – it’s still boils down to just a guess.