The Competitive Advantage

August 27, 2014

Are there any GREAT Marketers in Market Research? Let’s recognize them!

I spend a lot of time writing about what’s wrong with marketing in the market research industry… and how to fix it.

Lousy websites. Ineffective email marketing. A lack of content marketing. No strategy or planning. Cheesy social media marketing. Way-too-wordy print ads. And so on… and so on…

But not all MR firms do bad marketing all the time. In fact, I’d like to ask for your help in recognizing those firms in our industry (research firms, fieldwork & recruiting firms, technology shops and panel providers) that do exceptional work when it comes to their marketing.

August 20, 2014

Don’t want to buy? Just say ‘no.’

Twice in the past week, I’ve had that experience that everyone who’s ever done any kind of business development hates. No, it’s not getting rejected or losing out to the competition… instead, it’s not getting any kind of response from a sales prospect. Nothing. Nada.

And this wasn’t a ‘cold call’ where I was hoping to get a call back. This was after we had developed a bit of a relationship… both of these prospects had downloaded several eBooks from our website, we had shared long, back-n-forth email threads, had conversations that lasted nearly an hour and I followed-up with proposals that they had requested. And all I wanted to know was if they wanted to move forward.

August 12, 2014

Whoever said ‘Innovate or Die!’ was right!

My wife and I just got back from a walk around Franklin, Tennessee… one of this country’s great small towns, founded in 1799. It has the traditional, quaint Main Street (yes, it’s actually named that), lots of unique shops and restaurants and is jammed with visitors (both out-of-town tourists and locals) every weekend strolling the sidewalks. We’re lucky to live just 15 minutes away.

August 6, 2014

How do you respond to, “That’s just too expensive!”

Ooooh… the dreaded, “I like it – but it’s just too expensive.” Or “It’s not in our budget.” Or “Your competition is 35% less.” Or some other legitimate – or not-so-legitimate – excuse.

How do you respond?

If you’ve done a good job of presenting your services, deliverables and value, then there are really only 3 ways you can respond…

August 2, 2014

Not getting the email results you want? Make sure you’re following these 7 email marketing guidelines.

There’s not a person reading this whose firm isn’t doing some sort of email marketing. And you should… even with all of the technological changes taking place in the world of marketing & sales, good ol’ email continues to be one of the most effective and cost-effective ways to generate leads and then nurture them over time.

But like anything else… it requires planning and discipline to do it right. To help make the most of your email marketing efforts, make sure you’re following these 7 critical guidelines…

July 29, 2014

9 Questions to Ask Before Deciding to Exhibit

You hear from your friends in the industry that a particular conference was really good… strong educational sessions, impressive roster of attendees, good networking. Sounds like an event where you need to exhibit next year, doesn’t it?

Like most every other marketing decision, the answer is, “It depends.” Before you plunk down your firm’s hard-earned money and commit several days of your time, take a few minutes to answer these questions to make sure it’s the right event for you…

July 23, 2014

Is the customer always right? Uhhh… pretty much!

As I write this, I’m in the midst of a project with a client… helping them to develop their “go to market” messaging for a new service line. We’ve been talking about features and benefits, what “pain points” we think it addresses, what those that have tried it think about it and so on.

But we can only do so much. If you believe that “the buyer’s perception is the seller’s reality” (and I do!), then before my client makes any final decisions on messaging, he needs to get some input from those for whom the messaging is intended… his clients and prospects.

The fact is, getting feedback from clients could be the answer to most of your business questions and problems. Think about all the issues you deal with and where client input could be helpful…

July 16, 2014

C’mon, don’t be ordinary… dazzle me!

My kids got me a FitBit for Father’s Day… it’s a device you wear on your wrist that acts as a pedometer and comes with an app to track weight, diet, activity, etc. Pretty neat little item and a good reminder to stay active. Nice.

And if you achieve a certain level of activity – say, 10,000 steps in a day – it sends you a little ‘congratulations’ email. Again, nice.

But yesterday, I got an email telling me that my FitBit battery was getting low on power and needed to be recharged! What?! OK, it’s a small thing… but it’s also one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Somebody at FitBit was thinking – and in real-world terms, too. Yup… they dazzled me.