Marketing Research
What kind of car are you? And Other Stupid Questions You Should Never Ask Clients.
I’m a huge believer in polling your customers to uncover key insights into how they buy, what they think, how they evaluate similar suppliers, etc. In fact, most of my assignments start with customer phone interviews, because the information uncovered during these conversations is priceless when it comes to developing a strategy that is truly relevant to the people who actually buy your products or services. Fundamental marketing. I get it.
Read More »Get out of the bubble. Look outside the company to set an effective marketing plan.
The frog sitting in the well sees only the well while the frog sitting on top of the well sees the entire world.
Read More »The Secret Marketing Voodoo Behind the Austin Blues Revue
How do you create a serious buzz in a town full of buzz? The answer might surprise you. In this installment of A Moment of Clarity I show you how you can do the same for your business.
Read More »Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics
When it comes to creating a sustainable funnel of customers, throwing more money at the problem isn’t the answer. A wise man said “That’s like giving a bicycle to a fish.” That wise man may have been slightly drunk but I think he was on to something.
Read More »Eat Your Vegetables.
My friend Matt Shultz sums up marketing strategy thusly. Companies want to eat their dessert first. We all love the sexy stuff of marketing dessert – web sites, brochures, videos, etc. But nobody wants to eat their vegetables first. Marketing strategy is the vegetables.
And if you want a healthy sales program, you have to eat your vegetables.
Read More »I Love it When a Plan Comes Together
I received a very interesting call last week from a friend and client I worked with almost two decades ago. You’ll love this story of success and I’m super proud to be a small part of his success.
Read More »Do You Know Your Competitor’s Secrets?
Right now, as you read this, there are companies vying for your customers money. These competitors are knocking on doors, they are adapting to the market and they are taking revenue out of your pockets.
In this Moment of Clarity, I show you how you can gain the upper hand.
Read More »Meet Jon. The Brain’s Gatekeeper.
In this week’s moment of Clarity I share some brain science and elaborate on how to get people’s attention with your marketing efforts.
I also make fun of hipsters. Win/win.
Replicating Your Ideal Customers
In this Moment of Clarity I show you how to create an Ideal Customer Profile with a downloadable worksheet.
Everybody knows that 20% of customers provide the lion’s share of revenue.
The real question is how to replicate this 20%.
Read More »Breaking Through the Shields. (Russian Brides, SPAM and Value)
In the last article we talked about how people have developed a defense mechanism to fend off the constant bombardment of marketing messages as a simple survival strategy.
To get through your buyer’s defense shield you must be invited in. The only way to be invited in is to answer the question “What’s in it for me?” (“me” being your potential customer).
There are only two ways to motivate someone to act. One is by force. The other is by demonstrating to them that the action you desire is in their best interest – that it fulfills a need or provides clear benefit to the customer. In marketing speak, we call call this “value”.
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