Strategy

To Thrive, Your Company Needs More Than Organic Growth

By |2023-10-07T15:19:55-04:00October 4th, 2023|Categories: Strategy|Tags: , , , , , |

Running a business literally has its ups and downs, as in how revenues and other critical figures can fluctuate from month to month. That’s why you’ll often hear owners sigh and happily report, “We’re doing just fine where we are.” If you’ve been saying things like that, don’t get too comfortable. As any kid with a [...]

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Is It You or Your Company?

By |2023-05-29T11:22:27-04:00March 7th, 2023|Categories: Marketing|Tags: , , , , , |

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 [...]

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Trust Your Gut, but Verify

By |2023-03-09T07:07:27-05:00January 26th, 2023|Categories: Strategy|Tags: , , , , |

A famous man quoted the Russian proverb, “Doveryai no Proveryai.” Translated it means trust but verify. Experience has taught me that’s a sound piece of advice for business leaders, too. I say that after dealing with countless business owners who have said “I trust my gut” when making important decisions about marketing or other strategies. What [...]

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You Can’t Read the Label from Inside the Jam Jar

By |2022-04-04T16:46:25-04:00April 4th, 2022|Categories: Strategy|Tags: , , , |

I’m always fascinated by company leaders who cannot grasp the value someone with a different perspective can bring to them. It reminds me of that homespun wisdom that it’s impossible to read the label from inside a jam jar. Put another way, unless a CEO or other company leader has managed to become 100 percent [...]

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How Do You Know if Your Marketing Efforts are Successful?

By |2022-04-19T10:41:04-04:00January 21st, 2021|Categories: Key Performance Indicators, KPIs, Marketing, Strategy|Tags: , , , , |

It happens frequently, and it always puzzles me. During an initial conversation with a CEO or company owner, I’ll ask how well their marketing is working. And they’ll reply with something like “I guess okay” or “it seems to be” or “I’m not sure” or even just a shrug. These are companies that invest significant sums [...]

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How Do You Sustain Trust with Customers?

By |2020-12-15T04:26:05-05:00December 1st, 2020|Categories: Marketing, Strategy|Tags: , , |

In my last column, I described a variety of effective ways for building trust among those who don’t know you. Once you’ve started the process, how do you maintain and grow that trust? A recent experience with a prospective service provider helped me think about the steps I take to strengthen trust among my customers and [...]

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How Do You Create Trust with Prospects?

By |2020-12-13T12:37:57-05:00October 15th, 2020|Categories: Marketing, Strategy|Tags: , , |

There was a time when cold calling was the mainstay of the sales process. Successful salespeople were those who had the courage to pick up the phone and call prospects, knowing that nine out of ten would reject them outright. Cold calling no longer works for a variety of reasons. For one, people rarely answer calls [...]

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Google Analytics Should Be Your Company’s Best Friend

By |2022-07-19T11:46:37-04:00September 22nd, 2020|Categories: KPIs|Tags: , , , , |

Having a business website and not using a free service known as Google Analytics is like buying a Ferrari and putting it up on blocks in your driveway. I don’t understand why someone would do that, nor do I grasp why companies would invest thousands in a website without using Google Analytics. I suspect it’s because [...]

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Smart Marketing Starts With a Sales Perspective

By |2020-07-24T15:33:23-04:00July 7th, 2020|Categories: Marketing, Strategy|Tags: , , |

I’m not sure why sales and marketing have developed a relationship just as contentious as IU and Purdue. They’re equally important functions that serve the same organizations, and each offers expertise that could benefit the other. But put them in the same arena -- even if that arena is just an average conference room -- and [...]

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You Don’t Really Need a Marketing Agency, Do You?

By |2020-07-24T15:35:01-04:00April 27th, 2020|Categories: Branding, Marketing, Strategy|Tags: , , , |

You’re a smart businessperson who runs a successful company. You oversee production, product development, hiring, finances, and all the other elements needed to run a healthy business. Why in the world would you need to hire an outside marketing agency? No matter what business or industry you’re in, it’s simply impossible for you to know everything [...]

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