11 Brand foundations. Build to last.
"Brand" is a widely misused and misunderstood term, often referring to a whole range of devices, symbols and expressions that are no more than single elements of the whole. Building a brand in the digital age of speed, idea cloning and ubiquitous communication is a...
8 questions to assess a strategic plan
Part of what I do day to day is made up of business reviews. Whilst every business is different, and the competitive environment is different, there are some common questions to be asked that tend to reveal the effectiveness and impact of strategic and business...
How to make the “godfather offer”
Making an offer they cannot refuse is the ultimate selling outcome, notwithstanding the limitations of the law, and common decency. So how do you make a Godfather offer? Know your customer intimately Know their business intimately Know their pain-points like they were...
Sales mindset switch
Access to information, the tools to make up our own minds has not just changed our behaviour in the way the sales process works, it has changed our mindset. In a fundamental way. We believe information we source ourselves, and distrust anything we are told. We filter...
Where is your “post-it-note”?
Before 3M came out with the now ubiquitous little yellow pad of semi stuck sheets, nobody realised they needed them. There was no clamour for sticky note papers to use as messages, place-holders, and the thousand other uses we have found for them, no market...
How to construct a brief that sells.
Putting together a good brief is a foundation of successful business, whether it be a brief to a creative agency, engineering team, or outsourced service of some type, and irrespective of the platform to be used, a great brief plays a key role in achieving your goals....
12 things to think about when considering digital advertising
I am speaking to small businesses all the time, and there are a lot of common conversations that occur. One of the most common is about advertising, particularly as it relates to advertising with Facebook and Google. The conversations take a pretty common route. The...
Why many small businesses ignore marketing…until it is too late.
20 years of working with small businesses and it seems the attitudes to marketing have not changed much. Most recognise the change in the tools. They seek to engage with social media by being "on facebook" and "Liking" a few people, having a few Apps and sharing...
May 12 “crunch” time
A business that does not make money will not be around for long. While money is just the mechanism to count success, or failure, the lack of it is terminal in every case. Well, every case but one. Government. They just keep on putting it on the national credit card,...
6 stages in your sales process design
Everybody in business is in one way or another, in sales. After all, you do not make a living by giving stuff away, you actually have to sell it. It is also true that not everybody will want your stuff, in fact, usually very few will want it, so the challenge is to...