Recently I happened to catch most of the movie “Big” with Tom Hanks. I hadn’t seen it in a long time and had forgotten its timeless marketing lesson. In the story, a toy company’s executive team has clearly lost touch with their true business identity, and Tom’s character – an eight year old in a [...]

“If innovation is tainted with the idea that a resulting commercial value is necessary – true innovation will not occur.” This sentiment is heard time and again from the “scientists” that are rooted in the thought that a commercialization goal simply distracts and distorts the very process of innovation.
The thought that mankind should benefit from [...]

The average sales person deals with prospect leads as they come, working all that they can, leveraging their product or service to fit the need and get the order. Absent available leads, they prospect in much the same manner, looking for anyone willing to listen. Asked about their sales funnel, they explain all of the [...]

Business after business is hampered, rather than supported, by dysfunctional boards. Board members are picked for all the wrong reasons; because they invested, they are a friend, or someone suggested them as a quality executive. Boards are then created out of balance when it comes to the help needed because there was no plan put [...]

You have a long-time successful business, but new dynamics have presented you with the opportunity to create significant growth. You are excited about the potential and you start to make changes and hire additional employees. If you hire more of the same, you find that the load on you, the chief decision maker, becomes overbearing [...]

Exhibiting at industry trade shows / conventions can be one of the most effective marketing tools your business employs. At the same time, it can also be the most costly marketing tool (per impression) in which you invest. Most show exhibitors simply show up, stand in their exhibit, collect a few leads, party most nights, [...]

The ability to type and send messages, any time of day, in an array of methods, while arguably timesaving, creates significant communication gaffs. From email to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo, and phone-text messaging, bright, eloquent people are reduced to tabloid columnists with the stroke of key. Would-be leaders create irreparable damage to client and team [...]

Different sales techniques, based upon the product or service and the prospective “user,” are required to maximize selling success. Selling commodity, easily-purchased products is significantly different than selling expensive, considered-purchase products. But in all cases, sales occur when the benefits received equals or exceeds the price required to obtain it – when “value” is created. [...]

In Lou Gerstner’s book, Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance, Mr. Gerstner is quoted as saying “I came to see, in my time at IBM, that culture isn’t just one aspect of the game – it is the game. In the end, an organization is nothing more than the collective capacity of its people to create [...]

Mistakenly, many people believe that their company brand is their logo. When they think about brand development, they think about logos, colors, creative, and advertising. In reality, your company “brand” is the mind impression generated by someone when they are confronted with your logo, name, product, or service. And the mind impression generated by any [...]

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