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Time was that marketing was glamorous. The heyday of marketing can be viewed every week in the television show Mad Men. In that glamorous world, the marketeer (represented by the quintessential ad exec) is a master of the universe.

In that world, marketing was seen as the engine that drove sales. Clever ideas and memorable brands, expressed through pricey advertising, created business success. Marketing “created demand” and the sales group was simply a means to fulfill that demand.

But now technology has killed Mad Men marketing… by making demand creation measurable.

You may have read the stories about newspapers going bankrupt.  It’s been positioned as part of the meltdown, but in fact such bankruptcies were inevitable, because advertising sales for print publications have been declining for years.

The reason?  The Internet.

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\\ tags: Technology

When you are on a sales call NEVER, EVER:

• #1: Discuss politics or religion. Such subjects are almost always a trap into opinionated quicksand that’s hard or impossible to get out of.  Fix: keep the discussion on business or neutral ground.
• #2: Dive into your product pitch. Sure you’ve got something to sell, but if you pitch too soon, you’ll get pitched out the door. Fix: Ask questions to understand needs, before you pitch.
• #3: Arrive late to the call. If you don’t arrive on time it tell the customer clearly that you don’t give a damn about them or their time.  Fix: Always arrive 15 minutes ahead of time.  If you drive to calls, get a GPS.
• #4: Appear flippant or sarcastic. A good-natured laugh at a joke might be taken personally by someone watching out the window, without hearing the context.  Fix: Watch your demeanor at all times.
• #5: Lack requisite product knowledge. The prospect doesn’t want to hear “I need to get back to you about that”…over and over. Fix: make sure you’re trained on your current products and policies…before the call.

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I’m tired of hearing these accusations that I think “all marketing is bad.” Marketeers try to position my viewpoint as “bashing marketing” because then it’s easier to ignore my real point, which is that marketing should be limited to activities that can be measured quantitatively and objectively. And that viewpoint scares marketeers spitless, because if top management finally “gets it”, a lot of marketeers are going to get fired.

Far from thinking that “all marketing is bad,” I’m a big proponent of effective marketing.  However, before we can talk about effective marketing, we need to examine some basic business principles.  Otherwise, we’re not talking about the same thing.  Here four basic truths about business from my perspective:

1. Any business activity that can’t be measured quantitatively and objectively is a waste of resources.
2. The point of commerce is to generate profitable revenue, so all measurements should tie back to sales.
3. Everyone’s compensation should be tied to their ability to help sales generate profitable revenue.
4. Employees who object to being measured quantitatively and objectively are running a scam.

Does anyone disagree with these four principles?  If so, you’ve got no business in the business world.  By all means don’t bother reading the rest of this post, because you won’t understand it.

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The world’s first mass-produced home robot (1981). The Heathkit Hero Robot was originally released as a build-your-own kit. Equipped with an articulated gripper arm, an on-board computer and multiple sensors, the Hero could connect to your PC, react to your commands, speak thousands of words, move around, turn its “head,” follow a light, and even act as a smoke alarm. And, unlike the Aibo and the SDR-3X, the Hero was fully programmable (it had an on-board PC) and could be customized to your heart’s content. Why it failed: It was a kit that required considerable expertise to assemble. It was also complicated to program and had no useful built-in functions. They should have offered it assembled, with some function to make it practical (like the RoomBot vacuum cleaner).

The world’s first “Internet” access device (1983). The Sceptre Videotex Terminal was a wireless keyboard-controlled system which delivered news, weather, sports, stock reports, banking, shopping, email, and other information to an ordinary television. The Sceptre was about the same price as today’s broadband connection ($39.95 a month) but it never seemed to catch on, although it was eventually marketed in a dozen cities. The interface was a bit crude by today’s standards but, hey, it did pretty much all the Internet-type stuff that we’d want to do today. Why it failed: The idea of interacting with a computer was simply too “odd” for the public at large, and without an audience base there was no reason to advertise on it. They should have bootstrapped it by offering it for free for the first year.

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With a hundred and one companies giving out corporate gifts this Christmas, how do you make sure your gift stands out and is memorable? Simple: Make it a custom to give personalized Christmas gifts. There’s nothing more touching or moving than receiving a gift that was meant specifically for you. There’s this special kind of feeling you get when you open a present that you know no one else will be getting.

Your gift may not be extravagant, nor does it have to be imported. What’s important is how your recipient feels when he or she receives it. Does she oooh and ahhh over it? Or does she put it aside and remembers it only later? As a giver, you want to know that your gift is received with much appreciation.

- Choose a memorable gift. The holidays and the end of the year are special occasions: They signal a new life, a new slate, a new chance to make things better. Make it a custom to give special, personalized Christmas gifts to friends, family, and business clients. You purchasing decisions should be made months before the end of the year, so you can take your time to review prices, personalizing options, colors, and materials. Find a unique gift that no one else will duplicate. Nothing is more disappointing for a recipient than to find himself on the receiving end of two identical gifts.

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\\ tags: Christmas Gifts

In January many businesses sit down to revisit their business plan, but pay no attention to their marketing plan. There is never a better time than the end of the year or beginning of a new year to sit down and reflect on what worked for you and what didn’t. It’s also a great time to develop a marketing calendar for the upcoming year.

An annual marketing plan will assist you in figuring out what it is that you need to do, how to do it, and when to do it. This marketing plan should go hand-in-hand with your business plan and development.

In this marketing course we will revisit your marketing goals and determine what it is that you hope to achieve in the upcoming year with your marketing efforts. Often companies avoid this process because they don’t know where to begin the process. That is what I am here for. Over the next eight weeks I will walk you through the steps of creating a solid marketing plan. At the end of our course you will have completed the following:

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\\ tags: Business, Marketing, Marketing Plan, marketing strategy

Are you missing one of the largest markets out there? I’m consistently amazed how in marketing and advertising we have mistakenly overlooked the single adult women’s market. At first I thought that I only noticed it because I am single, so I tend to tune into the marketing messages to see who they are geared for. However, after spending time researching I realized it wasn’t only me they were missing. Just take a look at some of the statistics below. I’m sure by the time you’ve finished reading this article you’ll wonder why you are not marketing to the single women market.

Over three years ago in 2001 the Census bureau alone reported that there were over 17 million U.S. women living alone. This doubled from the year 1981. These women were never-married and childless and between the ages of 25 to 44, but let’s not stop there. Consider the report done in 2000 that showed the percentage of single women in each of the following categories:

• Women Never Married (25.1 Percent)
• Separated (2.4 percent)
• Divorced (10.2 percent)
• Widowed (10 percent)

In a report by the Census Bureau release in July of 2004 it showed that there were over 95.7 million unmarried and single Americans. Over 53% of them were women. This nearly tripled the number reported in 2001. It’s been reported that nearly half of women 45 or older are unmarried.

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\\ tags: Business, Marketing, Marketing Methods

There are many options when it comes to using the internet to market your service or products. This can often leave marketers confused and wondering where to start.

The marketing vehicles that we can chose from include:

• Search Engine Optimization
• Paid Search
• Affiliate Marketing
• Email marketing
• Blog Marketing

Where will you get the most bang for your buck? I wish I could give you a concrete answer or a plan that would get you started and on the path to success guaranteed, but truth is every merchant differs. I can however equip you with the basic strategy that I’ve followed.

With that said in my 11 years of interactive marketing there is a formula that I suggest and a reason for it; let me explain. I have taken the below from my own experience, both in marketing my own companies as well as those of my clients.

Search engine optimization using organic listing within search engines to get your products seen by those who are searching for specific keyword terms tends to have fantastic results. The downside is this method can take up to 3 to 6 months to begin seeing results. Can you wait 3 to 6 months? If you are like most businesses the answer will be resounding no.

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\\ tags: Business, Internet Marketing, Marketing

How is word of mouth marketing working for you? Is there a buzz in the air about your product or service? Are you reaping benefits from the viral marketing of your customers and clients.

Viral marketing describes strategies that encourage individuals to pass your marketing message to others. This type of marketing creates the potential for exponential growth in your message’s exposure and influence.

If you’ve studied marketing at all I have no doubt that you have come across articles and resources that strongly encourage “word of mouth” and “referral After all these types of marketing avenues are often called the best thing that has happened to marketers after the invention of advertisements.

With that said you may be wondering “How can these resources, or anyone for that matter, be so sure?”

There is some truth that most marketers simply insist on the universal effectiveness of word of mouth without any concrete data or figures to back their claims. They cannot quote any facts or figures regarding word of mouth simply because there are none available. Even though it’s supposed to be the best form of marketing, it remains the least researched marketing method.

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\\ tags: Business, Marketing, Viral Marketing

In the past two weeks I’ve been reviewing numerous resumes for an open position in the company that I work for. I’ve found this review process long and boring. Very few of the resumes have grabbed my attention. This does not mean that the applicants are not qualified. They have just not taken to the time to create their resumes to grab a potential employer’s attention. Are you making that same mistake?

If you are in the job market it is important to realize that your resume is your personal marketing tool. Unfortunately very few job seekers treat it as such. Do not fall into the trap of grabbing a resume book and copying your information into a familiar format or just pasting your information into a commonly used Microsoft template.

Take some time and single out the unique qualities and experiences that will make you stand out of the crowd. Remember in today’s market an employer is inundated with resumes on a daily basis. However, do not let this be discouraging. You can use common marketing techniques and strategies to get that potential employers attention and land your dream job.

In the next ten minutes I will walk you through the process of creating a road map that will assist you in effectively marketing yourself in today’s job market. Take a few moments to grab a pen and notepad before you continue reading, so that you can answer each question below as you read it. Do not over analyze the question simply write down the first thought that comes to your mind. YOu can always review later and tweak as necessary.

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\\ tags: Business, Marketing