Wastepaper baskets, the world over, are full of them. In fact, if there were ever a competition to judge the most self-indulgent of all business communications, the newsletter would have serious competition from only the corporate video for first place! A tragedy, when you consider that newsletters have the potential to be by far the… “The corporate newsletter: neglected for years, resurrected at last”
At best, most marketing communications are irrelevant to most of their recipients, most of the time. At worst, these communications run the risk of damaging the very relationships they are supposed to be cultivating. The problem is, from a marketing department’s perspective; every relationship looks like a sales opportunity. Accordingly, marketing (and sales) people tend… “From a marketing department’s perspective, every relationship looks like a sales opportunity!”
How to use the virtual world of the Internet to multiply the effectiveness of your real-world marketing activities. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel that managing a traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ business is downright unsexy! Particularly when stories abound of Web entrepreneurs who have reinvented business as we know it (and become… “Clicks and mortar”
I spent a couple of hours with a Sydney-based insolvency practitioner last week. He visited to request assistance with his marketing. (Yes it’s okay, Ballistix is still solvent!) Because this was my first meeting with a potential client I waited a full 10 minutes before challenging the viability of his business model. Fortunately, my guest’s… “Baptism by fire: a sustainable competitive advantage or else!”
My first piece of advice is simple: treat the Internet as an opportunity for your business — rather than as a business opportunity, in and of itself. The fact is, there’s more mileage in using the Internet to better execute your existing strategy than there is in treating it as an entirely new business model.… “The Internet: ‘business opportunity’ or ‘opportunity for business’?”
Now here’s a common concern. How do you harness the obvious revenue-generating benefits of discounting – without damaging your corporate image? If, like Super Cheap Auto, you are positioned as a discounter in your particular industry category, promoting reduced prices may enhance your corporate image. But, if you wish your market to perceive you as… “Discounting: how to ‘buy’ new clients without selling your corporate soul”
If you stop and think about it, there are probably many companies you deal with automatically. You don’t stop to think about price, quality, service, or convenience – you just instinctively make your purchasing decision. We might be talking about your printer, your doctor, your real estate agent or your computer supplier. But then we… “How to turn customers into clients – and clients into advocates for your business”
For most of us, advertising is a little like prayer. We’re not sure it provides any benefit, but we do it anyway, just in case! Of course, one difference between advertising and prayer is that advertising costs you money. And, as a professional manager, your job is to maximise your return on capital. In other… “The difference between advertising and prayer!”
I’m always bemused by the exalted tone used by salespeople and management whendiscussing ‘qualification’. The presumption seems to be that this activity somehow adds tremendous value to the opportunity-management process. I suspect, in most cases, it does the opposite! From what I’ve observed, ‘qualification’ typically involves a salesperson makingpreliminary contact with a list of opportunities… “Qualification: value adding or value destroying?”
I heard an amusing story the other day. I was talking to the Managing Director of a large manufacturing firm, with a force of 100+ salespeople. He told me about how he recently went on a sales call with one of these salespeople. After the appointment, the two of them returned to the salesperson’s car.… “Are your salespeople really delivering spectacular customer service?”
