Blog:
The Competitive Advantage
June 7, 2012
The One Thing you Must Do to Measure your Marketing
There are three primary parts to executing your marketing & sales initiative.
The first is planning… all of that research, thinking, strategy and the details.
Next comes the execution… actually doing all of the things you set out to do in the plan – on time and on budget.
Some firms (but not nearly enough) go through the planning process. Most firms handle the execution reasonably well. And almost no one does the third part – measurement.
Continue ReadingJune 4, 2012
Share your Knowledge to Build a Competitive Advantage
During my vacation on the East Coast last month, I made a call on the President of a research firm who had contacted me and wanted to meet. I was happy to do it… you can only take so many days of sun, fun, beach and cool, refreshing drinks!
As we chatted, I realized that this gentleman was an absolute expert in the area of advanced analytics for research. It came as a complete surprise to me because, until we chatted, I had no way of knowing that he had that level of knowledge. There was no mention of it on his firm’s website, he didn’t have a blog, no Twitter account… no outlet of any kind to showcase that expertise.
Continue ReadingJune 1, 2012
Should you Specialize to Gain a Competitive Advantage?
I’ve been out of town the past few days meeting with a couple of “good size” market research firms.
While the websites of both firms would suggest that they can (and do) conduct research in virtually all of the common vertical industries, the fact is that each of them DO have a specialty – on or two verticals that account for at least 50% of their business. Yet, they are reticent to promote themselves as specialists. Why?
Continue ReadingMay 21, 2012
Social Media Marketing Lessons Learned from an Engagement
My daughter, Laura, got engaged a few weeks ago… it was great news! Her fiancé, Wade, is a terrific young man and my wife and I couldn’t be happier for them. And what was really interesting about the announcement was how Laura did it (like a real marketing pro!)…
Continue ReadingMay 17, 2012
Under-promise and Over-deliver… a True Story
As most of you know, CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software is a must-have in your marketing & sales arsenal. Your CRM software is used to track and record client & prospect interactions, manage marketing campaigns, create sales reports and so much more.
I happen to use ZoHo (www.zoho.com). This isn’t a story to promote a specific platform, but rather a story about the “customer experience” and how it can impact your business. And I happen to be the customer.
Continue ReadingMay 14, 2012
Embrace the Exhibitors
A few weeks ago, I wrote about brushing up your “elevator pitch” as you get ready for some of the Spring conferences.
Let me make another suggestion to help you get the most out of your ‘investment’ of time of money in those events: Embrace the exhibitors! That’s right… build time into your schedule to proactively meet with all of these “salespeople!” Go ahead, it won’t kill ya. In fact, I submit that it could be one of the most productive aspects of your time at the conference. Here’s why:
Continue ReadingMay 11, 2012
The Best Promotional Video I’ve Ever Seen
Most promotional videos I come across are far too salesy… no depth, all glitz!
But I came across the video below that I HAD to watch all the way through – it drew me in a wouldn’t let go. It’s promoting a new business book. The video is informational, entertaining and very compelling. Watch and learn…
Continue ReadingMay 7, 2012
The Research Industry is NOT Dying, but many firms WILL Disappear
The idea that the market research industry is dying has been filling up LinkedIn groups, conference sessions and online discussion boards for a while now, due largely to the emergence of new technology and the concept of DIY research. Then a few weeks ago, Google announced its low-cost surveying tool… and the conversations accelerated once again.
The fact is, as technology advances, industries change… would you want to be in the newspaper business today? Own a bookstore? Produce vinyl records?
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