Marketing Execution

Drowning in the Red Sea of Competition?

A quick review of one of my favorite books, “Blue Ocean Strategy”. We’re going to need a bigger boat…

I have an idea that will change the world. But I’m not telling anyone about it. But you should still buy it.

In this Smash Podcast I tell you the cold hard truth about prospects that you need to accept so you can start reaching them with more relevant messages and calls to action that actually work.

Not sure if blogging is worth your time? Here’s a few stats to consider. Oh the sweet irony as you read my blog to learn about blogging.

It sounds counterintuitive from a business startup, but I love cheap clients.

I’ve learned over the years that the clients with less money to spend are more likely to be adventurous in their marketing.

That thrills me.

Marketing planning (even a little) can greatly reduce your risk when it comes to the time, treasure and talent you will invest in growing your company. Or at least that supposed to be how it works.

I talked to a friend the other day who said her company was desperately in need of creating a steady stream of opportunities. But they’ve been spending thousands churning through “marketing” guys that somehow didn’t make this happen.

I hear this almost every time I talk to a potential client. I think it sucks for them and I’m ashamed at some of the people in my industry. In this week’s Moment of Clarity I show you the real issue.

I drove past one of those LASIK eye surgery places today on my way to a planning meeting and saw it. A giant photo of an eye in the front display window. In fact, the eye had me feeling like prey back in the days when getting eaten by a huge lizard was a definite possibility. As this mega eye stared into my soul I thought to myself “What a lost opportunity”.

I picked up a package of gum the other day and noticed the copy on the box. It read “Trident – Fuse it up! Chew the sweet pieces with the sour pieces and you’ve created a fusion of flavor that’s all your own!”

OK. Wait a minute. What the hell does that mean? Do I want to “Fuse it up!”? I don’t think so. I just want some gum. I don’t want my own “fusion of flavor”. That sounds like an atomic bomb going off in my mouth. Who writes this meaningless claptrap? Was there a focus group where some highly paid advertising agency 20-somethings asked “If you wanted something to explode in your mouth, would it be Trident?” Probably.

Late last year I completed a research project for a client that was interested in crowdfunding. It occurred to me that others might get some value from this research and my experience raising money via the crowd. You can download the report below. The power of the crowd is shaping up to be a valuable tool for entrepreneurs. If/when the SEC decides to let people crowdfund for equity, I believe it will finally become a viable tool to raise capital. My experience with crowdfunding and my research tells me that success is predicated upon a sound marketing strategy. You’ll need to create your program to reach far beyond your friends and family if you are attempting to raise any real money. The most successful crowdfunded projects embarked on significant marketing and promotion campaigns. In other words, they didn’t just rely on word of mouth – they pulled all the levers,[…]

The venerable sales letter is somewhat of an anachronism these days. With all these newfangled electronic gizmos, apps, FaceThingies, LinkedIns, utilizing sales letters seems sort of…well…quaint. But the reality is that a good sales letter (snail mail, delivered online or as a landing page) can generate high value sales leads. The secret lies in the concept of “good”. A bad sales letter not only gets a fast, one way ticket to the trash bin, it can actually damage your brand. Writing is one of those skills/arts that everyone thinks they can do. “I done learned it in grade school. I forms words with letters and strung ’em together….” And while that is true for most people (I hope) writing for sales and marketing purposes is different from writing a comprehensive review of To Kill a Mockingbird. Let me show you how the right approach can make the register ring.

“Clarity Marketing Support is a competent and creative marketing team for hire. They are straightforward an honest. They do what they say they will do. They leave their egos at home when they went to work for me. Pete Monfre knows what marketing in its truest sense is all about and how to make his knowledge work for his clients. His many talents have been forged in the school of personal experience. Pete and his team is the real deal. I heartily recommend them.”

Kevin Neuse
One Source Financial

Pete Monfre is one of a rare breed of marketing people who understand how business works, because he has started and run several businesses, including a successful Marketing company. He is intensely focused on stated goals and brings a balance of creativity and sound business problem solving skills to every client situation. You can count on him to not only solve problems, but also identify and quantify problems while bringing solutions that actually work for the business. Pete has an uncanny ability to synthesize large amounts of complex information and break it down to actionable, achievable steps. Having worked with Pete in the past and recently hiring him for a large, complex project, I can recommend him without hesitation.

Bill Wimberley
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

I have found Clarity Marketing Support to be great with not only creative ideas but also deadlines and details. You don’t often see this in one package. I gave them the job to be the acting Marketing Manager for our company when I had to replace the incumbent. Pete acted as a member of my senior staff, and interacted with both our executives and outside contractors as if he were one of us. I would recommend Clarity Marketing Support without reservation for roles involving everything from strategy through to marketing implementation.

Joshua Konkle
Overtone Software

Clarity Marketing Support, Inc.

B2B Fractional Marketing Leadership

Marketing Execution

Drowning in the Red Sea of Competition?

Ideas are a Dime a Dozen. It’s Execution that Counts.

Nobody cares about you.

Guerrilla Marketing a trade show… Always bring a gun to a knife fight.

Why marketing guys suck and how to avoid this trap.

The Unblinking Eye of Lost Opportunity

This is everything that’s wrong with marketing today.

Good Old Fashioned Sales Letters Still Work