The Competitive Advantage

September 10, 2014

Your sales rep not working out? Maybe it’s not their fault… look in the mirror!

I’ve worked with a number of firms in the market research industry where the one (or first) sales rep they hired didn’t work out… didn’t hit their goals… didn’t meet the expectations of the firm’s owner(s) – and so was let go.

It happens… sometime the rep is just not the right fit with the organization.

But just as often (or maybe more often), the inability of the company to effectively manage that sales rep is just as much to blame. It works something like this…

September 3, 2014

Has marketing become too complex? [chart]

Click on this link (https://bit.ly/MktgTechChart).

I came across this chart recently and my jaw just dropped… hundreds and hundreds of technology products and services – each focused on a particular niche within the continuum of marketing activities. And I am unfamiliar with a large percentage of them… and that’s saying something for an old marketing dog like me.

I think there are two big problems caused by the proliferation of all of this marketing technology…

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.

July 2, 2014

Great business quotes #5 – on taking charge of your business.

Thanks so much for all the positive feedback on the first four posts in this series on great business sayings… I appreciate all of the comments and ‘likes.’

Here’s a quick recap of the first four great sayings:

• “Activity breeds results.”
• “All things being equal… people do business with people they like. All things NOT being equal, people STILL do business with people they like.”
• “Sales prospects don’t care about what you can do… they care about what you can do FOR THEM.”
• “What gets measured gets done.”

Our fifth – and final – saying is…

Hope is not strategy.

June 11, 2014

Great business quotes #2 – on relationships

Yeah, I know… we all live in a web-of-all-things, socially-connected, technology-driven world. There’s no getting around it. But even with all those bits and bytes whirling around in the cloud, regardless of what we do for a living, we are still in the “people business.” And because people are the decision-makers and the key drivers of success, the following saying becomes even more relevant…

All things being equal… people do business with people they like. All things NOT being equal, people STILL do business with people they like.

May 14, 2014

Have a client that’s a pain-in-the-a**? Fire them!

I was visiting a client recently in Southern California… a fast-growing firm with an interesting variety of clients. One of our conversations focused on the fact that several of their smaller clients (company size, not necessarily project size) were much more difficult to work with than any of their large ones.

Sounds backwards, doesn’t it? But that seemingly reverse logic is actually very consistent across most firms. Are you dealing with it?