You’re on vacation or at a conference when you spot something that seems like remarkably clever marketing. You take a photo or make a mental note, and plan to “borrow” it for your own business when you get back home. Is that a good idea? Probably not. The most effective marketing is just like a company’s [...]
Companies pursue acquisitions for any number of reasons, most of which are related to growth objectives. Unfortunately, in the course of folding the new business into their own, companies often forget to integrate their marketing efforts. In some cases, failing to address marketing issues as part of the acquisition can lead to a company unknowingly becoming [...]
It’s not unusual for business owners to have healthy egos. It takes a great deal of confidence to launch and guide a business through the ups and downs. Unfortunately, egos can inflate into so much self-confidence it impedes success. I thought about that after I concluded a conversation with a business owner who responded to my [...]
I’ve long found it amusing (and amazingly frustrating) that the two departments focused on driving most companies’ revenues are rarely in sync with one another. Often, their conflicts rise to the level of sworn enemies. Instead of taking a symbiotic approach, both departments avoid and sidestep each other, impairing their success and that of their employers. [...]
Have you ever wished you could take a surreptitious peek into your competitors’ operations or decision-making process? What if I told you, it may be easier than you think? I’m not suggesting you hire industrial spies to break into a competitor’s production facility or try to place a mole into their executive suite. The simple fact [...]
I was excited to open it. The website had been compelling, and the box was beautifully designed. The product was exactly as advertised. And then I saw the sheet. It was a simple slip of paper, containing the assembly instructions, apparently cranked out on the company’s photocopier. The text was skewed on the page, so whoever [...]
The disagreement grew increasingly intense. His frustration was obvious as he angrily snapped, “I’m the customer! I’m always right!” I didn’t yell back. I simply resigned his business. “The customer is always right” is an outgrowth of the intense competition among early big-city retailers. 19th century titans like John Wanamaker and Marshall Field wisely emphasized customer [...]
The marketing director worked hard on the new campaign and convinced the CFO to budget extra dollars for the launch. It was an exciting promotion with an impossible-to-ignore offer that was certain to boost sales to new highs. Only one problem: nobody told the sales team about it. So an hour after the email blast went [...]
I developed a better understanding of our company’s business model the morning our son and his three-week-old driver’s license crossed paths with another vehicle in a local roundabout. Our car didn’t look too good, but he was fine. The driver who hit him was also uninjured, and her car suffered the worst of the damage. Most [...]
While LinkedIn celebrates its 18th birthday on May 5, few people realize that LinkedIn was launched nine months before Facebook launched at Harvard – making it one of the oldest social networks still in use today. With 55 million companies as members, LinkedIn is clearly a driving force in the economy as evidenced by 61 million [...]
